The Social Aspects of Anger

The great majority of anger does not result in aggression. In fact the most common responses to anger are calming activities, such as talking it over. Only about 10% of the time does aggressive actions result from anger. Despite the small percentage of anger that leads to aggression, the effect of anger on our society is great. Each year, 3.7% percent of the population commits one or more violent acts. In a lifetime, 24% of people are expected to commit a violent act. Road rage is a growing concern and halting its growth is becoming a priority in the government.

Not all aggression results from anger or is even emotionally based. Proactive aggression is used by an organism, normally for the purpose of obtaining a goal. In this way, aggression is important for survival in that it can be used to acquire the necessities of life, such as food or other property. Because it can also be used as a tool, proactive aggression is also referred to as instrumental aggression. Instrumental/proactive aggression is most often not associated with strong emotions. Reactive aggression on the other hand is almost always accompanied by relatively strong emotions and the actions are impulsive. This aggression often is a response to a perceived provocation, frustration or insult. Due to the malicious nature of this aggression it has also been termed hostile aggression. Reactive/hostile aggression is the aggression that comes about from anger and will therefore be the focus of this site.

Here are some follow up links:

* Methods for Studying Anger
* The Damage Anger Can Cause
* Anger in Motion: Road Rage