In light of increasing incivility in society, understanding and managing anger is growing in importance to restore a sense of safety and civility to out nationÆs workplaces, schools, and homes. Anger is mediated in the brain from an area known as the amygdala. Signals that arouse reactions in the body are sent from the amygdala through neurotransmitters. Anger often causes physical changes such as increased heart rate and muscle tension among others. Physiological changes are but one component of anger. Anger also encompasses cognitive and behavioral reactions. Irrational or unrealistic thoughts often manifest anger in individuals, because our perceptions influence our reactions. Behaviorally, anger is either directed inwardly (most common in women) or outwardly (most common in men). Anger management counseling and classes are aimed at teaching anger-management skills to offset these physiological, cognitive, and behavioral components of anger. Such skills are needed by individuals in our schools, workplaces, and homes. Angry individuals are a threat to others and society as a whole. As Besley (1999) maintains, angry individuals are ômore likely to experience physical violence and damage to property, they have a great deal of difficulty with interpersonal relationships, they have work and school problems, they experience low self-esteem and have higher rates of incarcerationö (p. 81).
Behavioral and cognitive therapies are most often incorporated into therapeutic counseling approaches to deal with anger. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) are effective in helping deal with the cognitive and behavioral components of anger. Cognitive behavioral therapies help individual reframe their irrational or unrealistic perceptions of events. For example, the employee who says ôI shouldnÆt have to tell my boss what I need, he should knowö would be redirected to more rational thinking. Perha...