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When is anger useful and when is it destructive?
01.02.2023 14:00
Updated: 13.04.2023 19:02
The topic of the need to express or suppress emotions is one of the most discussed issues in psychology.
Elena Katsyuba , a psychologist, explained in which cases anger is useful and in which cases it is destructive.
Moreover, there are absolutely opposite views of specialists. Let's look at the example of anger, what causes the manifestation of certain negative emotions, and whether it is always bad.
Why is the feeling of anger necessary?
Anger is an evolutionary emotion that allows both animals and humans to survive.
When we experience this emotion, hormones are produced and reactions are triggered that give us energy and additional resources, forcing us to act and solve the problem that has arisen.
Leo needs anger to mobilize his strength, strengthen his reactions, increase his speed and catch a fleeing zebra. Otherwise, he will die of hunger. Anger can help a person, for example, when attacked by a bandit on the street.
In an angry state, he will feel a surge of strength, fears will retreat, thoughts will speed up, and the chances of fighting back will increase many times over. And in this way, he will also save his life.
But even in less critical situations, the feeling of anger can be beneficial.
For example, when achieving a goal. You are angry at a business competitor who puts a spoke in the wheel, and this feeling makes you think faster, act outside the box to get around the opponent. And in the end, this will give your business a good boost to development.
What is illogical anger
But there is a concept of "illogical anger". For example, when a mother turns into a tiger and "growls" at her own child who does not want to sit down to do his homework.
Why did this emotion arise, why did the child suddenly become the mother's "prey"? This is a reason to study the conflicts occurring within a person together with a specialist, because the reasons for the emergence of illogical destructive anger can be different in each case.
To suppress or not to suppress?
To suppress such anger or not? Let's return to the fact that this emotion contributes to the release of energy.
Blood pressure and sugar levels rise, and other body systems are activated. It is obvious that suppressed anger will begin to "eat away" at a person and nothing good will come of it.
The consequences can be nervous breakdowns, chronic stress, illnesses. Therefore, it is necessary to splash out anger, but do it in an environmentally friendly way. Sports are the best way to realize emotions. Two or three kilometers of running will free you from negative energy.
The desire to scream can also be replaced by loud singing. If anger is directed at a specific person, you can write him an angry letter where you will say everything you think about him. But postpone sending it until the next morning. Most likely, in a few minutes you will feel how the negative energy leaves.
