What Is Anger, and Why Should We Care?

Any emotion left uncontrolled becomes a problem. Not only anger. The reason anger is singled out is due to the predominance of passive mindset.

There are two ways in which a passive mindset can judge anger as being fundamentally bad:

1. Because people who are angry are quite likely to cause harm to others, and because passive people judge the worth of actions based on the kind of effect they would have if they were directed at them, anger is judged as negative. In plain terms, anger is bad because someone who is angry at you makes you feel uncomfortable.

2. Because anger is mentally and physically demanding, and because passive people are mentally and physically weak, they have no experience of healthy anger. Instead, they only have experience of frustrated and/or lightheaded anger. Furthermore, if they have no memory of healthy anger, and if they cannot resolve frustrated and/or lightheaded anger without eliminating anger altogether, then they have no choice but to confuse the two: frustration (and/or lightheadedness) and anger. Thus, they think, anger is bad, because anger is equal to frustration (and/or lightheadedness), since when you eliminate anger you eliminate frustration/lightheadedness (but you also eliminate frustration/lightheadedness when you eliminate life, and yet, few argue that life equals frustration/lightheadedness.)

Anger, like every other emotion, is neutral per se. It acquires value only when you relate it to its actor, namely, when you measure the effect it has on its actor.

Anger, like every other emotion, is bad only when it is uncontrolled or misdirected.

There’s a lot of that about… the main type of anger in current climes from my experience and observations, but denial is strong until it is too late and damage has been done and relationships ruined. I do think that drugs has a lot to do with misdirected anger, but again… denial is also strong in those with misdirected anger issues during their weeks or months of comedown.

The modern terminology for all such types is ‘toxic people’… probably because they are literally full of toxins (amphetamines, opioids, whatever other amines / ioids).

I mainly get angry at shitty technology… definitely not misdirected

What modern technology isn’t Turdish?

A Shieldmaiden,

I wouldn’t necessarily use the word “learned” behavior.
It’s more of an unconscious inner reaction to some kind of stimulus or trigger.
Patterns from childhood which we haven’t been able to “see” and transcend are more instinctive, no?

I don’t know - perhaps the above can be seen as learned behavior.
Is instinct learned behavior?

Anger doesn’t have to be a negative. It just depends on what is provoking the anger and what behavior occurs as a result of it.
If the anger has an intelligent response and one strives to keep it in check, to be more balanced and restrained in its expression, and is directed towards a greater good than it is a positive anger and a conscious one.

Turd does not make me angry me at all. As a wise and educated man I very much value his contribution to the forum
He also has a very dry sense of humour like mine. After Trixie he is my favourite poster here so hope he stays for life

I deal with my own anger by being open minded and isolated from other human beings and not worrying about things that are beyond my control
I realise that I am only passing through this life and that nothing really matters in the grand scheme of things and therefore anger is unnecessary

From what I recall you live an almost solitary existence.

Who is there to make you angry?

Being a loner does not automatically immunise one from anger but it can however reduce it significantly
And as an emotional being I cannot eliminate any emotion but can keep the negative ones to a minimum

What’s there to be angry about when you are living a solitary existence, except perhaps you can’t get the lid of a jar.

Memories can trigger anger as can the way of the world regardless of how one lives
But as I said it can be reduced significantly if one is a loner so that is what I choose

surreptitious57 wrote:

I would have thought the opposite would apply, being alone affords one the opportunity to concentrate exclusively, to go over and over the details.
Are memories so powerful?
Solitude is the gasoline on the fire.
Time is the smouldering remains.
Is anger something to be ashamed of, something other people should never witness?
Is suppression of anger healthy and displays of unhealthy.

Suppression is most definitely unhealthy

Instead one should confront their demons and make peace with them

Do you believe that anxiety or fear is more tolerable than anger?

There is a lot of provocation in adversarial politics. The one who loses his cool also loses his moral ground and is labeled the bad guy.

Unless you’re doing a preemptive strike in self-defense.

Anxiety is definitely more tolerable than anger because it can be controlled better

Let’s not forget that his life is not that solitary. He posts on ILP and it might be possible that he has both television and radio. All three are influences which might contribute to anger if he allows it, if he allows this and that to get to him. I don’t think he lives in a vacuum.

Tooth implants. They are cool.

And slippers.

I contest that anger is voluntary. You can control your behaviour, but you can’t control your emotions. At least not directly.

It is true that anger is unnecessary. But you get angry anyhow. It’s not in you to stop your own anger. Unless it’s in you, like in some people.

People often don’t recognize the difference between angry behaviour and anger. If more people recognized that, there would be no discussion here on anger right now.

Angry behaviour is emotional and social. Anger, the feeling, is only emotional.

In absolutes, the answer is undeterminable. Because all three manifest on a scale of intensity. Intense anger is worse than mild anxiety; and intense anxiety is worse than mild anger.

If you’re asking questions such as “is emotion X more tolerable than emotion Y?” then it means you have a problem regulating your emotions.

Though, it is true, you might find certain emotions easier to regulate than others.

My point being that no emotion that is regulated is a problem.

In general, no action that is regulated is a problem.

The kind of action – irrelevant.
The intensity of action – irrelevant.

What is relevant?
Whether it is regulated or not.

Regulated/unregulated determines good/bad.

What does it mean that an action is regulated?
That it corresponds to the expected.

Before one acts, one forms an expectation of how one will act. This expectation, this prediction, is what we call goal.

Good means the outcome matches the expectation.

Bad means the outcome does not match the expectation.

We make expectations, we posit goals, every step of the way.

Every step is a goal.
Every step is preceded by an expectation and then compared against it in order to determine whether it is a success or a failure.

This applies to emotions.
Before emotions kick in, we have certain expectations.
And if our emotions contradict these expectations, then we feel overwhelmed.

The solution is to understand your emotions.
To map them so that you can predict them in the future.

@ -1-

I didn’t write this.