The Causes and Effects of a Misunderstood Emotion

Introduction

A father, hostile from a day at the office under an oppressive boss, goes home to verbally abuse his children and sulk in front of the television. A newspaper editor, worried about an upcoming deadline, yells at her employees and slams the door to her office. A chronic smoker, harried from a long wait at the DMV, bursts out in rage when he arrives home to find that he's run out of cigarettes.

Everyone recognizes it. Anger is such a universal experience in our society that everyone has become accustomed to it in some way. But few stop to think about the causes of anger, and many ignore its most important consequences. The scientific concepts of anger and other emotions are still in their fledgling stages, and the physiological roots of many social situations that stem from anger have yet to be established.

This site will attempt to discuss some of the symptoms and biological causes of anger, as well as a few of its implications in modern American society. It is hoped that the reader will gain some understanding of the still mysterious emotion in the process. The buttons on the left will take you to different parts of the site. If you come across a term you don't recognize, be sure to check the glossary.