Suggested Reading
Anger Management Improves Heart Health
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine 2002; 162:901-906.
A recent study suggests that men who have poor anger management skills are more likely to suffer a heart attack before age 55 than are their mild-mannered peers. Observation of more than 1,000 men found that those who responded to stress with anger and irritation were three times more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease, and five times more likely to suffer a heart attack before age 55. Study authors noted that the heart attack/disease risk persisted regardless of cholesterol levels, body mass index, and blood pressure. Dr. Patricia Change, the study’s lead author emphasized the role of anger management as a tool to reduce the risk of premature heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States.
Advances in Anger Management
Source: Monitor on Psychology, (32) Number 3, 3 March 2003, p. 54
Discusses the lack of diagnostic criteria for anger within the psychological community while recognizing the need for a treatment protocol for those who suffer excessive anger. Cites Colorado State University psychologist Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD promoting three strategies, alone or in combination, that have empirical support for helping with the task of anger management. The strategies–relaxation, cognitive therapy and skill development–are not new ideas, but newly applied to anger.
Controlling Anger- Before it Controls You
American Psychological Association March 2007
Anger is a completely normal, usually healthy, human emotion. But when it gets out of control and turns destructive, it can lead to problems—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.
Anger: The Deadly Component of “Type A” Personalities
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, October 27, 1997
Almost everyone remembers when the research about Type A personalities was made public. It showed that men who were controlling, workaholic, and intense are more likely than others to suffer from heart disease and other stress-related illness. A report by a Duke University research team filled in an important piece of previously missing information about Type A personalities. The team’s question was, “What specific personality characteristic causes physical illness?” The answer it found: Anger. The Duke University study showed that cognitive/behavioral stress reduction sessions lowered the level of both anger and anxiety in patients with chronic heart problems, and that their physical improvement was related specifically to a reduction in their anger.
Readiness to Change is a Vital Component in the Success of Anger Management Programs
A previous study of 200 violent offenders in WA and SA, by researchers from UniSA’s Forensic and Applied Psychology Research Group, revealed that offenders who were not ready to undertake treatment showed almost no improvement in anger management after undergoing a treatment program. Offenders who were motivated and ready to work on their anger problems showed greater improvements on a wide range of anger measures.
