Lecture 19 Anger

Question 1

anger in infants

Answer 1

• emerges at 4mo

- directed at another person at 7mo

Question 2

most frequently reported negative emotions

Answer 2

anger (17%)
sadness (12%)
fear (2%)

Question 3

problem with anger

Answer 3

DiGiuseppe and Tafrate (2004): 8% of normal population reported anger problem for 6+ months

half of 1300 psychiatric outpatients reported moderate to severe levels of subjective anger, 1/4 reported behavioural aggression in past week

Question 4

anger and relationship

Answer 4

neuroticism partner effect, over and above depression and anxiety

more predictive of divorce 5yrs later than poor communication

higher trait anger -> significantly more likely to be unmarried

less support from family members, less trust in close relationships

Question 5

comorbidity of anger

Answer 5

high levels of drug and alcohol issues (>50%)

distant second place anxiety disorders (1/3)

depression and dysthymia (15%)

bipolar (5%)

Question 6

possible symptom of (5+3)

Answer 6

Mania (bipolar)
MDD
Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
PTSD
GAD 
Borderline
Antisocial
Paranoid

Question 7

Problems with Intermittent Explosive Disorder

Answer 7

aggression disorder, not anger disorder

reflect broader overemphasis on aggression in academic community

fails to include angry individuals who have distressing/impairing levels of angry mood, resentful brooding, chronic irritability

DiGiuseppe & Tafrate (2007) 25 outpatients with primary complaints of anger, only 2 diagnosed with aggression problems

197 anger outpatients: 67% no impulsive aggression, suppressed-organised subtype over 1/3 of sample

Question 8

overemphasis on impulse control

Answer 8

DSM seems to suggest that aggression in IED caused by general impulse-control problem

fail to account for the fact that most IEDs refrain from outbursts with policemen, bosses, etc

fails to capture method in the madness

false dichotomy of affective vs instrumental aggression

Question 9

problem with ODD

Answer 9

childish disorder

‘deliberate malice’ unrelated to anger

can meet criteria for ODD without anger symptoms

Question 10

Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Answer 10

diagnosis only made for the first time before 18, age of onset must be before 10

explicit directive of DSM to not create an anger disorder, but prevent children from being diagnosed with bipolar

Question 11

misdiagnosis of anger: Lachmund, DiGiuseppe and Fuller (2005) study

Answer 11

GAD vignette constructed, anxiety replaced with anger, sent to psychologists

social phobia: 80% right, 18% got an other anxiety disorder, 2% wrong

social anger: 20% IED, 80% mentioned PD (borderline or antisocial)

Question 12

why is anger neglected

Answer 12

Because the angry themselves often shirk therapy, and so the demand has lagged

Because mental health workers are reluctant to confront it

Because of a history of overly behavioural theories on the one hand (which edit out the emotional component)

overly Freudian theories on the other (which relegate anger to the status of rationalisation or secondary symptom

Question 13

anger fallacies

Answer 13

Venting is useful (pillow techniques)

Low self-esteem is the culprit (treated as depression)

Anger is biological, physical, genetic… (relaxation)

Anger is a social skills problem (assertiveness)

Anger is an impulse problem (self-instructional training)

Anger is really just a mask for anxiety (treated as anxiety)

Anger is classically conditioned (repeated exposure to barbs)