Group Therapy for Anger Management
Introduction
Anger is one of the most common sentiment's individuals experience in their daily lives. This harsh emotion of anguish and suffering is a reaction to a particular situation. According to Marby and Kiecolt (2005), individuals become agitated when others confront their character, treat them dishonestly, block them from achieving their personal goals, disrupt traditional patterns, and not blaming others for wrong actions. In today’s society, two interchangeability frequently used terms: aggression and hostility. According to Buss and Perry (2002), aggression, anger, and hostility represent the behavioral, cognitive and emotional mechanisms of the same theories.
According to DiGiuseppe and Tafrate (2003), associated anger issues are a common reason why adults and adolescents seek out psychological therapy. The feeling of anger is an occurrence that sits on a scale in which length, incidence, and strength usually lead to substantial damage. Some research hypothesizes that associated rage events typically transform into various phycological and physical issues (Tafrate, Kassinove, & Dundin, 2002)
During this present time, adults and adolescents come across daily circumstances that add fuel to their anger. A plethora of influences contribute to their anger. According to Thompson, Rudolph, and Henderson (2004), some influences include psychological, emotional, verbal, or physical abuse, neglect, divorce, poverty, and alcoholism. Even more accurate, most individuals confront high conflict situations every day (Arlett, Elgar, & Groves, 2003).
Anger management has become a crucial subject for the mental health profession because of the unhealthy consequences of anger in adults and adolescents. This theme expands the difficulty of responsibility by mental health companies and political representatives because they establish the usefulness of treatment and psychological interventions.
Group Theory/Tenants
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, commonly known as CBT, is a distinct theory that focuses on changing harmful patterns of cognitions, behaviors, and effects. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy applies a series of exercises and questions that can help individuals comprehend their triggers that activate their anger to extreme unnecessary irritated explosions (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
When adults and adolescents can understand their triggers and causes of anger episodes, a therapist that specializes in CBT will explain various practices and worksheets. These practical methods can help individuals discover which practices and worksheets work best for them. The skills enable individuals to manage their situations more healthily than when they formerly found events as perplexing, overpowering and irritated. Helpful techniques for CBT include improved personal mindfulness, relaxation managing techniques, attitude and rational thought change, rage disturbance by avoidance and removal, and forgiveness and acknowledgment (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
Improved Personal Mindfulness
Angry adults and adolescents often do not understand their anger. They are confused about where it comes from and how it happens when they are furious. Improved personal mindfulness helps handle the foundations of anger incidents (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Individuals can have comprehensive dialogues with their therapist by role-playing their anger activating events and keep detailed daily records of anger situations.
Either way, the primary objective is to help adults and adolescents become aware of the anger in their lives. With completed goals, individuals will be mindful of the cause, motive, and consequence of anger. They can also improve their self-esteem, self-worth, appropriate control, and management skills (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Even though improved personal mindfulness is only one part of the end goal, it is very beneficial.
Rage Disturbance by Avoidance and Removal
Rage disturbance by avoidance and removal techniques help discontinue the anger a person senses by physically or mentally detaching themselves from the triggering event (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). A simple way to do this is by getting up and leaving the environment when anger grows. For future reference, this technique often helps when discussed with friends, partners or co-workers. It certainly helps not to respond to certain situations verbally when triggered. An action that can accompany this technique is to look for substitute responses such as emails or writing letters (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
In the end, it can genuinely avoid the anger completely. Activities that do not include angry gestures also aid as a substitute for rage disturbance by avoidance and removal. Individuals might find a physical release such as pressing their index finger and thumb together firmly, spending time with yard work or showering at home (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). These examples are basic techniques that can interrupt angry behaviors and permit people to distant themselves for self-reflection (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
Relaxation Managing Techniques
Anger provokes physiological anticipation and amplifies emotions. Relaxation managing techniques change the focus by helping an individual control their feelings when triggered. By becoming aware of the causes, relaxation techniques are useful by decreasing the intensity of emotions. Some exercises include thinking of a relaxing environment, meditating, slow breathing, reciting an idiom or a single word, and focus on muscle tension relaxation (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
Usually, these skills are practiced in the comfort of a home until relaxation is a natural technique. Afterward, these skills can be useful during therapy when a counselor role-plays a triggering event. After a certain number of counseling sessions, individuals can rely on themselves to relax independently instead of on their therapist (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Once they complete their therapy sessions, adults and adolescents can manage their anger regularly and peacefully approach triggering events.
Attitude and Rational Thought Change
When individuals think of situations that trigger anger, they frequently make the event unhealthier. Some adults and adolescents tend to ruminate on what they believe the situation should have been instead of desiring it in a certain way. Their behavior can often include name calling, insulting or assaulting (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Afterward, some individuals replay the event and paint it as disastrous rather than problematic or discouraging. When thinking this way, adults and adolescents reason the situation much larger which increases their current emotion of anger.
Attitude and rational thought change skills help concentrate on recognizing angry judgments and substitute with more realistic thinking patterns. Some skills include role-playing, acting out different behaviors, and self-monitor attitude placement in situations (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Client’s and their therapist work together to use these skills to become mindful of attitudes, imageries, and fluctuations that increase anger. As adults and adolescents exercise these skills, their new realistic cognitions help reduce their anger for real-world situations.
Forgiveness and Acknowledgement
At times, adults and adolescents make mistakes. Adolescents are sometimes clumsy while adults overlook their partner’s important values. When individuals truly believe that their family or friends’ actions are harmful, they are more likely to develop feelings of anger (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003). Forgiveness and acknowledgment help individuals comprehend the truth behind other’s actions. People learn to realize that some completed actions are because of lifespan development, biological genetics or different kinds of stressors. In the end, the objective is to develop interactions with others, while decreasing recurrent and unnecessary accusing and criticizing (DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2003).
Organization/Functions
According to O’Lenic and Arman (2005), a possible organization includes an introduction session and seven following sessions for anger management. During the introduction session, the main focus is to explain the reason for the group, how the session functions, and what the future sessions cover (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005). The members of this group are encouraged to track their emotions of anger and share them with the group if they choose to. In the second session, members of the group receive rules and recognize their triggers (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005). They also categorize the different regions of experienced anger within their lives. From there, group members and the group leader discuss the causes of their anger.
During the third session, art and creativity are used to express their feelings of anger. Expressing their anger helps release stressed pressure by not having to depict angry triggers verbally. One way to express themselves is to create a face mask that represents their current emotion (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005). In the fourth session, groups members continue to decorate their face masks and are encouraged to work with different art mediums to truly express their current emotions. In the end, they are asked to talk about their face mask and describe their emotions depicted in the face mask (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005).
During the fifth session, group members reflect on numerous pathways to dealing with anger efficiently. They also suggest and pinpoint unhealthy reactions to anger. Afterward, they recommend healthy responses and role-play those instances (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005). In the sixth session, group members deliberate unhealthy expectations and assumptions that often lead to triggering events. They also examine the positive influence of self-talk. They often use writing notebooks to describe real-life instances where they think of constructive outcomes for each scenario (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005).
During the seventh session, the group members gather more helpful information about constructive ways to cope with anger expression. It includes reducing stress, being accountable, listening to others, and treating others with respect as they respect themselves (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005). In the last session, group members are given materials that depict mental wellness, reduce stress, and add skills for relaxing. Near the end of the last session, a discussion of the overall group experience helps to connect other group members (O’Lenic & Arman, 2005).
Benefits
According to Tafrate, Kassinove, and Dundin (2002), substantial progress in anger management, self-esteem and self-worth increased after the intervention. With learning the different techniques of anger management, adults and adolescents can truly begin to apply these lessons for future instances. Also noted were mood change, less emotional distress and unhealthy practices.
For beneficial use, cognitive behavioral therapy provides adults and adolescents with behavioral tools that help them focus on the thoughts and beliefs that produce harmful emotional practices (Tafrate, Kassinove, & Dundin, 2002). Other skills include cognitive restructuring, communication techniques, and relaxation meditation skills that significantly decreased feelings of anger and externalizing behaviors.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is proven to be as effective as medication for certain individuals when treating anger management. The skills needed for CBT are usually straightforward, practical and effective when used during day to day situations (Tafrate, Kassinove, & Dundin, 2002). For those who choose not to seek out a mental health professional, CBT offers many self-help works of literature to practice these skills at home.
Limitations
According to DiGiuseppe and Tafrate (2003), participants in the experimental group benefitted by completing the eight-week group therapy. It is proven less successful when the participants dropped out of the experiment. Although CBT changes lifestyles, individuals need the commitment for maximum transformation. With participants who have a more complex mental health status, CBT may not work as well as a person who only suffers from anger management (Arlett, Elgar, & Groves, 2003). Even though CBT focuses on current mental cognitions, some experts believe that it does not properly address the primary cause of a person’s mental status.
Lastly, CBT concentrates on the capability of self-change. Most individuals do not willingly choose to work on their anger management. Some adults and adolescents believe they do not have an anger management issue. It does not focus on a broader scope of issues within the family that usually have essential influences for their well-being (Arlett, Elgar, & Groves, 2003).
Personal Impression
While reading through the various research studies, it felt comforting to know that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for anger management is proven helpful to many individuals. I personally have used CBT in the past, and I can attest to its life-changing capabilities. Anger management is a skill that many individuals currently need in our present time.
Because of life-altering situations, having control of your angry thoughts, speech, and behavior is important for relationships. By nature, humans are social creatures, and we feed off of having communion with others. Even though anger and frustration are normal emotions in life, individuals do not have to be bound by its energy depleting factors. Research, as well as testimonies, have proven useful for those who have anger management issues. There are numerous CBT tools individuals can choose from that fit best to their current situation. I find it amazing how this kind of therapy in a group setting, yields positive and life-changing results. Learning these strategies and identifying triggers is one of the most important combinations an individual gains from CBT.
This particular therapy allows people to decrease their anger intensity and help deal with everyday issues in life. In the end, a great organization of group therapy for anger managing can give individuals an explicit curriculum of needed life changes. With patience, application and time, CBT becomes a daily routine. I can imagine people waking up and choosing to live a more healthy and different life. Accepting to be angry all the time hurts our physical bodies as well as emotional or spiritual bodies. The human mind is malleable because we can change our neural pathways. Changing negative, angry feelings for positive mindsets proves our ability to practice what we preach. Letting anger cycles dissipate not only helps mentally, but it changes how we view the world around us. It gives hope for change in the world one angry person at a time.