A Case of Chronic Anger

Tommy L. is a white, American male in his 30s. He has a successful career as a musician, is in good physical health, and has many sources of social support, from his family to his friends, his business associates, his coworkers, and his fans.

Unfortunately, he also has a problem with chronic anger, resulting on numerous occasions in outbursts of rage and physical assault. During his most recent outburst, he battered his wife, and he was subsequently convicted of a felony and sentenced to several years in prison. Unless he is able to receive help in understanding his anger and learning to redirect it, he is likely to continue his pattern of behavior, both behind bars and once he is released.

Carol Tavris (1989) argues, "Anger involves the mind, the body, and

. . .
d interpretations that generate anger), the body (teaching relaxation and cooling-off techniques to help the person calm down), and behavior (teaching new habits and skills" (p. 288). For Tommy L., the first step in his therapy should be to help him understand his anger - the triggers, the intensity, the duration, and the mode of expression that each of his angry episodes takes. Tavris advocates keeping a diary, which also allows the patient to see situations in which he or she was angry but behaved in more socially acceptable ways. The documentation of such situations would help Tommy L. to understand that his rage is not always uncontrollable. The diary would also permit Tommy L. to begin to understand the kinds of things that set him off, allowing him the option of avoiding some of the habitual triggers to his anger. Understanding anger within oneself then extends to understanding anger in others. Tommy L. needs to learn not only what makes him angry but also what makes others around him angry. Tavris (1989) notes, "Anger is fomented, maintained, and inflamed by the statements we make to ourselves and others when we are provoked" (p. 290). By coming to understand his own internal dialogue and the ways in which his spee
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tommy L's, Emotion Anger, Teaching Tommy, Obviously Tommy, Carol Tavris, , Reference Tavris, tavris 1989, understanding anger, tommy l's, Carol Tavris', Simon Schuster, anger misunderstood emotion, help understand, express anger, effects anger, anger therapies, anger triggers, makes angry, tommy learn,
Approximate Word count = 1333
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)