What are Anger Outbursts?

Anger is a normal emotion in all human beings. People feel angry when they perceive they have been object of an offense or of an unfair treatment, when others have invaded their personal domains, when they have been prevented form achieving their goals, when they are contradicted, etc. In sum, anger appears when the person feels provoked for something that is perceived as a humiliating offense for him/herself, his/her close ones, or other people. However, if the person gets angry easily and very often, he/she could be vulnerable to having anger outbursts.

In an anger outburst, the person reacts in front of the perceived injustice or offense in a sudden and violent way. Such violence can be shown by yelling, insulting, throwing objects, hitting things or even physically attacking the persons involved. In spite that people can get angry against objects, frustrating situations, anonymous or just acquainted persons, the most frequent is that thy get angry at the closest people, that is, spouses, parents, children, co-workers, and friends. Furthermore, those are the ones who "suffer" the anger outbursts even though the angry person does not attribute them responsibility or causality in his/her anger (as it is the case of the person that throws something against the kitchen wall in front of his/her spouse because he/she is angry with his/her boss or with the policeman that imposed him/her a fine).

The damaging consequences of anger outbursts are many. One of the most frequent costs is the damage it causes to personal relationships, and precisely to the most valuable ones, such as the family and friends. Furthermore, anger can affect the working life, not only because it affects the relationships with co-workers, employers, clients, or employees, but also because it can block the person and limit his/her ability to make decisions or do a quality job. Lastly, anger feeds anger and can elicit an aggressive response on the part of others. It also has other negative consequences: the person may provoke a car accident (if he/she gets angry at the driver that just passed him/her and starts a crazy race to "showing him/her a lesson), or carry out trouble with the authorities and/or legal problems (for instance, if assault has occurred).

It might be that while reading this site you identify yourself with the descriptions of the problem provided above. The Test questions inquire about the presence of some of its features. Although they do not substitute the assessment process necessary to establish a clinical diagnosis, they might be considered as a first approach and a preliminary screening of the problem.

If you also experience a significant distress, or any area of your daily life (leisure, work, school, family, etc.) has been affected by this problem, you might be suffering from anger outbursts. However, remember: this is just a first approach to the assessment process needed before starting any treatment. If you think you might have this problem, seek professional advice so you can decide whether you want or not to receive treatment.