Continuing education online courses in Anger Management.

P14. Preventative Care: Anger Management, 3 CE-hours, $21

Professor Rudolf Klimes, PhD, welcomes you to this online course. Keep going.

START the course here. TAKE the exam at the end.

Course Description:

Anger has at least 4 levels, namely hidden anger, angry expression, angry words, violence.

Objectives:

At the end of this course, you will be able to 1) assess his/her anger, 2) understand the roots/source of his/her anger, 3) apply the steps of anger management and 4) reach a higher level of personal peace.

Course Format: Online linked resources and lectures that you can use anytime 24/7. One multi-choice test.

Course Developers and Instructors: R. Klimes, PhD, MPH (John Hopkins U), author of articles on Anger Management and overall conventional behavior modalities.

Course Time: About thirty hours for online study, test taking with course evaluation feedback and certificate printing.

Course Test: Click here for the self-correcting test that requires 75% for a passing grade.

P14  Anger Management, 3 CE hours

“Something that makes me really mad is when people underestimate me. They just write me off and don’t take any time to really let me prove myself.”…”I know I’m losing control when I start insulting others. One of my brothers has a learning difficulty, and once I got so mad I called him ‘stupid.’ I felt so bad about that.”…”It seems I’m always getting angry and I don’t know why. When I get mad, I usually take it out on others. Afterward I feel terrible. Sometimes I apologize. Sometimes I don’t. Could you please help me figure out why I get mad so easily and how I can stop doing it?”

Yesterday (at this writing),  I was a bystander in a domestic hostility situation that rapidly escalated into violence and the removal by the police of one party from the home. The application of the following guidelines would have prevented that situation. Explore Anger Analyzed; http://susankramer.com/Anger.html .

………………………….For Self-study…………………………….

1. Assessment of Anger

First determine the level, source, style and target of your anger. A number of anger measurements are useful for that. Anger has at least 4 levels, namely hidden anger, angry expression, angry words, violence. Keep a Hostility Log in which you journal all the hostile situations you initiated in 5 days. Include in it 6 things, namely the date and time, a short description of the incident, your attitude (thoughts or level of mistrust and cynicism), your emotions that lead to the incident, your behavior resulting from the hostility, and the outcome. Here is another anger test:http://members.tripod.com/kanchanD/ANGER.HTM

Anger is a reaction to an emotion, not a planned action. The feelings underlying the anger make us feel weak. Anger makes us feel in control. Angry is learned and therefore can be unlearned and replaced with healthier coping. Anger can be a reaction to one event or a response after numerous events. To repress anger and not to deal with it is unhealthy and will inevitably carry negative consequences. To change our angry, we need to understand its cause. If we have seen our parents get angry first and resolve an issue after, we are more likely to use a similar approach. Types of anger are learned. We are more likely to get angry if we are frustrated and feel stressed, if we are tired, if we tend to hold our feelings inside rather than talk them out.

ERIC_NO: ED409501 Parental Anger towards Children: Assessment Issues in Child Maltreatment.
Hecht, Debra B.; And Others, 1996
ABSTRACT: As any parent knows, anger towards children is a natural occurrence of parenting. Since it is important to identify and address some of the emotional issues that underlie child abuse, the role of anger in parenting and in child maltreatment is covered in this paper. An ecological analysis of parental anger is presented, with special emphasis on environmental determinants, such as employment and financial situations, the family environment, and individual factors. The link between parental anger and child physical abuse is presented next, along with a discussion of the parallels between frustration and anger. Since parental anger responses may follow or be intensified by child behavior problems, anger specifically related to child behavior should be an assessment priority. Several assessment instruments are profiled. It is suggested that researchers and clinicians should look more at social cognition and its interplay with emotional arousal, regulation, and interpretation of situations in order to lessen the incidence of physical abuse

Anger assessment and reactivity to stress.

2. Causes for Anger

To understand anger, you have to understand where anger comes from and what is its nature. Anger is a feeling of great displeasure and hostility. Everybody from time to time will be displeased but most people work out these problems in a peaceful way. But anger that is uncontrolled and expressed in aggression  becomes a major problem. The causes of that anger are usually within the angry person, not in the situation that triggers the anger. Explore theAnger Toolkit, the Anger-page.

ERIC_NO: ED039917, Anger in Children: Causes, Characteristics, and Considerations, Sheviakov, George, 1969
ABSTRACT: The author of this booklet discusses reasons for anger and ways of coping with it. When anger erupts in a classroom, it may be the result of cultural conditions that produce frustration and tension or adult-caused frustrations that could be avoided, such as rigid rules or lack of respect for the child. In discussing the characteristics of anger, the author stresses thatanger may not be consciously recognized by the sufferer and that anger is cumulative and may suddenly “explode.” The degrees of anger are discussed, and descriptions of anger‘s physiological effects are given. Guidelines are given for teachers and schools to follow in working with troubled children. Included are case descriptions of two children who were severe classroom problems. The point of view emphasized is that the origins of a child’s anger must be understood intellectually to effectively plan strategy needed to help the child. A flexible approach to treatment, involving the child on both the cognitive and emotional level, is urged. A nonjudgmental, patient, and humanitarian approach is stressed in handling anger in children.

3. Avoidance of Anger 

Watch out for anger triggers, wait to cool down and then decide on a course of action. Consider stopping hostile thoughts, feelings and actions when they deserve no further attention and are not effective. Give yourself time off  tocool off. Say to yourself STOP. Avoid over-stimulation from caffeine, sweets, and drugs. Check out Managing Anger. 

ERIC_NO: ED329847, A Model for Managing Anger and Conflict, Hamilton, Beatrice, 1991
ABSTRACT: Anger is probably the most misunderstood and least expressed feeling. To understand anger, it is necessary to explore the process. Anger usually follows an experience of frustration, unmet expectations, loss of self-respect, and fear. The next stage seems to be anxiety, which may be interpreted as a disappointment, discomfort, or powerlessness. This anxiety is then immediately changed, usually without recognition, into feelings or actions of power and fight. Finally, relief is felt only after release of the negative energy in the body. The constructive way to deal with anger is to confront the situation. Guidelines for fighting fair include the following: (1) establishing the legitimacy of fighting; (2) dealing with one issue at a time; (3) choosing the arena carefully; (4) avoiding reaction to unintentional remarks; (5) avoiding resolutions that come too soon or too easily; (6)avoiding name calling; (7) avoiding cornering an opponent; (8) agreeing to disagree; (9) focusing on what is wanted rather than why it is wanted; and (10) maintaining a sense of humor. If fair or creative fighting is attempted, then three positive outcomes may result: an effective resolution may be found; everyone involved may maintain a clear sense of personal dignity throughout the conflict; or the relationship may be in no way damaged and may even be enhanced.

Behav Modif. 2008 Nov;32(6):897-912. Epub 2008 Jul 9.

Understanding clinical anger and violence: the anger avoidance model.

Gardner FL, Moore ZE.La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. gardner@lasalle.edu

4. Positive Anger Management

Short-lived controlled anger targeted at a specific object or person may be helpful and healthy. But anger that lasts longer than a few hours easily turns into bitterness that can affect every part of a person’s live. That type of anger needs management, reduction and control. 

Some tools are distracting yourself (refocusing on something else), asserting yourself peacefully (making a simple request, describe the misbehavior, remind the other of rules, state the consequences), active listening (listening in silence, then repeating what was said, giving your message, checking if you are understood), increasing your empathy (the other’s motives may not be evil), raising your tolerance level (allowinging the other some slack), seeking God’s help (praying and studying God’s word), and laughing at yourself (about the trivial and unreasonable). At times seeking counsel (mediation, and service to others (working it off) may also be helpful. Explore Anger Websites. 

ERIC_NO: ED273895 Treatment of Anger: A Review of the Current Literature. Andersen, Carole Lou, 1985
ABSTRACT: Many psychological and physiological disorders may have some etiology in an unconstructive response to anger. Still others may be exacerbated by repressed or suppressed anger. Anger is often a problem for clients seeking therapy, yet psychologists have little research upon which to develop a viable therapeutic approach. While skills in communication appear to be effective in reducing angry feelings to maintain positive physical and mental health and to enhance interpersonal relationships, these skills seem to be difficult to learn. Four self-report measures have been used primarily in the assessment of anger arousal and expression and in the assessment of the effectiveness of anger management techniques. They are the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, the Reaction Inventory, the Anger Self-Report, and the Anger Inventory. Several promising theoretical positions have been developed for treatment of maladaptive anger in people. Among these are the behavioral approaches of desensitization and social skills training. Cognitive behavioral techniques used involve an emphasis on some kind of restructuring of thoughts, with Rational-Emotive Therapy and stress inoculation training having been used primarily. Research has indicated that any direct intervention for treatment of maladaptive anger expression is better than none, and a multifaceted training program consisting of desensitization or relaxation training, stress inoculation, and social skills or problem solving training is best.

Violence Vict. 2002 Aug;17(4):383-402.

The anger management scale: development and preliminary psychometric properties.

Stith SM, Hamby SL.

Source

Department of Human Development, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Falls Church, 22043, USA. sstith@vt.edu

Abstract

This article introduces the Anger Management Scale (AMS). Managing anger constructively without violence is at the core of many treatment programs for domestic violence offenders and prevention programs for youth. There is no measure, however, specifically developed to monitor these skills. The AMS was designed to assess very concrete, specific cognitions and behaviors that can increase or decrease anger in intimate partner relationships and therefore influence the respondent’s level of partner violence. In addition to the full 36-item scale, there are 20-item and 12-item short forms. The AMS has four subscales: Escalating Strategies (behaviors that increase reactivity to the partner), Negative Attributions (cognitions such as blame or negative intentions attributed to the partner of the respondent), Self-Awareness (awareness of physiological changes indicating rising anger), and Calming Strategies (behaviors that decrease reactivity to the partner). Preliminary psychometric data based on a college student sample (n = 475) show a meaningful factor structure, good reliability (alpha .70 to .87), and good construct validity.

Source

Department of Human Development, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Falls Church, 22043, USA. sstith@vt.edu

5. Personal Peace 

The result of good mental health and effective anger management is personal peace. The hostile act that brought on your anger can be worked through or forgiven (giving up any revenge, going on with your life).  Peace comes when you have a positive attitude, an emotional equilibrium, and self-control over your actions.  

Summary: Dealing with anger requires one to admit his or her wrong convictions, to give up the fear and denial of being wrong, and to bind up the anger wounds with good will and forgiveness. http://www.articles911.com/Anger_Management/ 

6. Resources for Anger Management 

Explore the following: Anger and Sobriety. http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/anger.html  http://www.counseling.org/ctonline/archives/anger.htm

Anyone can become angry –that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way –this is not easy. -Aristotle……..We boil at different degrees. -Ralph Waldo Emerson………..Anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that lacks it has a maimed mind.-Thomas Fuller…….Anger is a momentary madness, so control your passion or it will control you.-Horace……….The flame of anger, bright and brief, sharpens the barb of love. -Walter S. Landor…………No man can think clearly when his fist are clenched. -George Jean Nathan.

………………………Basic Assignment…………………..

Explore some of the links in the course. Keep a Hostility Log for 5 days, or one that includes at least 5 incident. Short example: Date: 1/1/2003, 9am; Another car cuts in; driver is too pushy; mildly frustrated; not worth reacting; no anger. Keep this for your own records. Do not submit it.

TEST

3-hours Continuing Education Certificate (0.3 CEUs).  Click here for the self-correcting test.