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n. 强烈，强度
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We all know what anger is, and we’ve all felt it: whether as a brief annoyance or as full-developed rage.
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life. And it can make you feel as though you’re at the mercy of an unpredictable and powerful emotion. This article is meant to help you understand and control anger.
The Nature of Anger
Anger is “an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage,” according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy hormones, adrenaline (肾上腺素), and noradrenaline (去甲肾上腺素).
Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (such as a co-worker or supervisor) or event (a traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic (外伤的) or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.
Expressing Anger
The instinctive (本能的), natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors, which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival.
On the other hand, we can’t physically lash out (猛击) at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common sense place limits on how far our anger can take us.
People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. To express anger in a healthy way, you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are, and how to get them met, without hurting others. You have to be assertive, which doesn’t mean being pushy (有进取心的) or demanding; it means being respectful of yourself and others.
Anger can be suppressed, and then converted or redirected. This happens when you hold in your anger, stop thinking about it, and focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and convert it into more constructive behavior. The danger in this type of response is that if it isn’t allowed outward expression, your anger can turn inward to yourself. Anger turned inward may cause hypertension (过度紧张), high blood pressure, or depression.
Unexpressed anger can create other problems. It can lead to pathological (病态的) expressions of anger, such as passive-aggressive behavior (to retaliate (报复) people indirectly, without telling them why, rather than confronting them head on) or a personality that seems perpetually cynical (愤世嫉俗的) and hostile. People who are constantly putting others down, criticizing everything, and making cynical comments haven’t learned how to constructively express their anger. Not surprisingly, they aren’t likely to have many successful relationships.
Finally, you can calm down inside. This means not just controlling your outward behavior, but also controlling your internal responses, taking steps to lower your heart rate, calm yourself down, and let the feelings subside (平息).
Anger Management
The goal of anger management is to reduce both your emotional feelings and the physiological arousal (觉醒) that anger causes. You can’t get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.
Why are some people more angry than others?
According to Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in anger management, some people really are more “hotheaded”(易激动的) than others are; they get angry more easily and more intensely than the average person does. There are also those who don’t show their anger in loud spectacular ways but are chronically (慢性地) irritable and grumpy (脾气暴躁的). Easily angered people don’t always curse and throw things; sometimes they withdraw socially, sulk (生气), or get physically ill.
People who are easily angered generally have what some psychologists call a low tolerance for frustration, meaning simply that they feel that they should not have to be subjected to frustration, inconvenience, or annoyance. They can’t take things in stride, and they’re particularly infuriated if the situation seems somehow unjust: for example, being corrected for a minor mistake.
What makes these people this way? A number of things. One cause may be genetic or physiological: There is evidence that some children are born irritable, touchy (易起火的), and easily angered, and that these signs are present from a very early age. Another may be sociocultural. Anger is often regarded as negative; we’re taught that it’s all right to express anxiety, depression, or other emotions but not to express anger. As a result, we don’t learn how to handle it or channel it constructively.
Research has also found that family background plays a role. Typically, people who are easily angered come from families that are disruptive, chaotic, and not skilled at emotional communications.
Is it good to “let it all hang out”?
Psychologists now say that this is a dangerous myth. Some people use this theory as a license to hurt others. Research has found that “letting it rip” with anger actually escalates (逐步增强) anger and aggression and does nothing to help you (or the person you’re angry with) resolve the situation. It’s best to find out what it is that triggers your anger, and then to develop strategies to keep those triggers from tipping you over the edge.
Relaxation to keep anger at bay
Simple relaxation tools, such as deep breathing and relaxing imagery, can help calm down angry feelings. There are books and courses that can teach you relaxation techniques, and once you learn the techniques, you can call upon them in any situation. If you are involved in a relationship where both partners are hot-tempered, it might be a good idea for both of you to learn these techniques.
Some simple steps you can try:
Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm (横膈膜); breathing from your chest won’t relax you. Picture your breath coming up from your “gut”.
Slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as “relax”, “take it easy”. Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply.
Use imagery; visualize a relaxing experience, from either your memory or your imagination.
1. When a person gets angry,___________, .
A) his heart rate goes down
B) his blood pressure goes down
C) both his heart rate and blood pressure go up
D) there is no obvious physiological changes
2. Anger is helpful when___________ .
A) it is limited in a certain amount B) it is expressed instinctively
C) it inspires aggressive feelings D) it allows us to defend ourselves
3. A healthy way to express anger requires people to be___________ .
A) pushy B) demanding C) emotional D) respectful
4. Unexpressed anger may cause ___________.
A) heart disease B) high blood pressure
C) headache D) neural disorder
5. In managing anger, we can ___________.
A) get rid of the things and the people that make us anger
B) avoid the things and the people that make us anger
C) learn to control our reactions
D) learn to change the surrounding
6. Easily angered people___________ .
A) show their anger in spectacular ways
B) show their anger physically
C) have a low tolerance for frustration
D) always curse and throw things
7. How do the sociocultural factors affect us in dealing with anger?
A) We don’t learn how to handle anger.
B) We are taught it’s OK to express anger.
C) Anger is often regarded as positive.
D) We learn to channel anger constrictively.
8. “Letting it all hang out” can not help to______________ .
9. The author suggests ______________ while breathing deeply.
10. The author writes this passage to help us ______________.
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