Anger management training teaches sailors to effectively manage anger. It defines anger as an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury. Anger is normally felt in response to events but what triggers it depends on the individual. The training outlines three main approaches to expressing anger: expressing feelings assertively, suppressing anger, and calming down internally. It provides techniques for managing anger, such as relaxation, cognitive restructuring, problem solving, humor, and seeking counseling if anger becomes uncontrolled.

1. 2-2-1
Anger Management

2. 2-2-2
Introduction
• Anger is an extremely powerful emotion, and an
inability to keep it under control can lead to
serious problems in relationships, career, and
health.
• Anger management will help you prevent or cope
with anger within yourself and/or in others.

3. 2-2-3
Importance
• Anger is probably the most
poorly handled emotion in our
society.
• Anger that is aggressive or
hostile has no place in the
Navy.

4. General Military Training-Suicide Awareness 2-2-4
Objective
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be
able to:
– define and explain many aspects of anger.
– explain how to manage anger effectively.

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Outline
• What is Anger?
• Expressing Your Anger
• Managing Your Anger

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What is Anger?

7. 2-2-7
Introduction
• Everyone knows what anger is, and
we’ve all felt it, whether as fleeting
annoyance or as full-fledged rage.
• Anger is a completely normal, and
usually healthy, human emotion.
• But when it gets out of control and
turns destructive, it can lead to
problems: problems at work, in
your personal relationships, and in
the overall quality of your life.

8. 2-2-8
Definition
• Anger is an emotional state that
varies in intensity from mild
irritation to intense fury and
rage.
• Anger is a common feeling,
thought, and behavior. It is not
so much the feeling or the
thought that is the trouble – it is
what we do when we are angry
that is the issue.

9. 2-2-9
What Causes It?
• Anger can be caused by external
or internal events.
• However, it is not the event itself
that causes anger, rather the
importance and meaning placed on
the event by an individual.
• What makes one person angry
may not have the same effect on
someone else.

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Problems Caused By Anger
• Hypertension, high blood pressure, and
depression.
• Greater risk of dying from coronary
heart disease.
• Weaker immune systems.
• Shorter life spans.
• Pathological expressions of that anger,
such as getting back at people indirectly,
putting others down, and criticizing
everything.

11. 2-2-11
The emotional state that varies from
mild irritation to intense fury is
known as _______.
Anger
Annoyance
Bliss
Desperation

12. 2-2-12
Correct!
• Correct.
• The emotional state that varies from mild
irritation to intense fury is known as anger.
BACK NEXT

13. 2-2-13
Incorrect!
• Consider your options and try again!
• This is not the emotional state that varies
from mild irritation to intense fury.
BACK

14. 2-2-14
Anger is an abnormal destructive
emotion that ruins your overall
quality of life.
TRUE FALSE
,

15. 2-2-15
Correct!
• The statement is false.
• Anger is a normal, healthy emotion unless it
gets out of control.
NEXT
BACK

16. 2-2-16
Incorrect!
• This statement is not true.
• Anger is a normal, healthy emotion unless it
gets out of control.
BACK

17. 2-2-17
Consider situations in which you’ve
been angry or in which you’ve seen
others angry. Which statement best
describes the causes of anger?
Quiet, serious people are most likely to have
hair-trigger responses in anger.
All people react angrily to practical jokes.
Depends on the person. What doesn’t bother
one person will infuriate another.
Fun-loving people rarely get angry at any level.

18. 2-2-18
Correct!
• Correct.
• It depends on the person. What doesn’t bother
one person will infuriate another.
NEXT
BACK

19. 2-2-19
Incorrect!
• Consider your options and try again!
• This statement does not best describe the
causes of anger.
BACK

20. 2-2-20
Expressing Your Anger

21. 2-2-21
Introduction
• The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to
respond aggressively.
• A certain amount of anger is necessary to our
survival.
• People use a variety of both conscious and
unconscious processes to deal with their angry
feelings.
• The three main approaches are expressing,
suppressing, and calming.

22. 2-2-22
Expressing Anger
• Expressing your angry feelings in an
assertive – not aggressive – manner is the
healthiest way to express anger.
• To do this, you have to learn how to make
clear what your needs are, and how to get
them met, without hurting others.

23. 2-2-23
Suppressing Anger
• Another approach is to suppress anger and then
convert or redirect it. This happens when you
hold in your anger, stop thinking about it, and
focus on something positive instead.
• The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and
convert it into more constructive behavior.
• The danger in this type of response is that if it
isn’t allowed outward expression, your anger can
turn inward – on yourself.

24. 2-2-24
Calming Down Your Anger
• Finally, you can calm down inside.
• This means not just controlling your
outward behavior, but also controlling your
internal responses, taking steps to lower
your heart rate, calm yourself down, and let
the feelings subside.

25. 2-2-25
What are three main approaches to
expressing anger?
Repressing, avoiding, and employing
Employing, oppressing, and digressing
Regressing, digressing, and obsessing
Expressing, suppressing, and calming

26. 2-2-26
Correct!
• Correct.
• Expressing, suppressing, and calming are
three main approaches to expressing anger.
BACK NEXT

27. 2-2-27
Incorrect!
• Consider your options and try again!
• These are not the main approaches to
expressing anger.
BACK

28. 2-2-28
Managing Your Anger

29. 2-2-29
Introduction
• The goal of anger management
is to reduce both your emotional
feelings and the physiological
arousal that anger causes.
• You can’t get rid of, or avoid,
the things or people that enrage
you, nor can you change them,
but you can learn to control your
reactions.

30. 2-2-30
Are You Too Angry?
• There are psychological tests that measure the
intensity of angry feelings, how prone to anger
you are, and how well you handle it. But chances
are good that if you do have a problem with
anger, you already know it.
• If you find yourself acting in ways that seem out
of control and frightening, you might need help
finding better ways to deal with this emotion.

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Why Some People Are More
Angry Than Others
• Genetic or physiological: There is evidence that some
children are born irritable, touchy, and easily angered, and
that these signs are present from a very early age.
• Sociocultural. Anger is often regarded as negative; we’re
taught that it’s all right to express anxiety, depression, or
other emotions but not to express anger. As a result, we
don’t learn how to handle it or channel it constructively.
• Family background plays a role. Typically, people who
are easily angered come from families that are disruptive,
chaotic, and not skilled at emotional communications.

32. 2-2-32
Relaxation
• Breathe deeply, from your diaphragm; breathing from your
chest won’t relax you. Picture your breath coming up from
your “gut.”
• Slowly repeat a calm word or phrase such as “relax,” “take it
easy.” Repeat it to yourself while breathing deeply.
• Use imagery; visualize a relaxing experience, from either
your memory or your imagination.
• Nonstrenuous, slow yoga-like exercises can relax your
muscles and make you feel much calmer.

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Cognitive Restructuring
• Cognitive restructuring means changing the way
you think.
• Logic defeats anger, because anger, even when
it’s justified, can quickly become irrational. So
use cold hard logic on yourself.
• Angry people need to become aware of their
demanding nature and translate their expectations
into desires.

34. 2-2-34
Problem Solving
• Sometimes, our anger and frustration
are caused by very real and
inescapable problems in our lives.
• The best attitude to bring to such a
situation, then, is not to focus on
finding the solution, but rather on how
you handle and face the problem.
• Make a plan, and check and progress
along the way.

35. 2-2-35
Better Communication
• The first thing to do if you’re in a heated
discussion is slow down and think through
your responses.
• Don’t say the first thing that comes into your
head, but slow down and think carefully
about what you want to say.
• At the same time, listen carefully to what the
other person is saying and take your time
before answering.
• Listen, also, for what is underlying the
anger.

36. 2-2-36
Using Humor
• “Silly humor” can help defuse rage in a number
of ways.
• It can help you get a more balanced perspective.
• What these “humor” techniques have in common
is a refusal to take yourself too seriously.
• Anger is a serious emotion, but it’s often
accompanied by ideas that, if examined, can
make you laugh.

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Changing Your Environment
• Sometimes it’s our
immediate surroundings that
give us cause for irritation
and fury.
• Give yourself a break.

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Counseling
• If you feel that your anger is really out of control,
if it is having an impact on your relationships and
on important parts of your life, you might
consider counseling to learn how to handle it
better.
• When you talk to a prospective therapist, tell her
or him that you have problems with anger that
you want to work on, and ask about his or her
approach to anger management.

39. 2-2-39
Which statement best describes
what is meant by “expressing angry
feelings”?
Unleashing physical punishment on the target of
your anger
Being assertive by explaining what your needs
are and how to get them met
Unleashing verbal abuse on the target of your
anger
Responding in a passive-aggressive manner

40. 2-2-40
Correct!
• Correct.
• Being assertive by explaining what your
needs and how to get them met describes
what is meant by “expressing angry
feelings.”
BACK NEXT

41. 2-2-41
Incorrect!
• Consider your options and try again!
• This is not what is meant by “expressing
angry feelings.”
BACK

42. 2-2-42
One should never use the
technique of suppressing anger
because the anger can turn
inward, causing hypertension,
passive-aggressive behavior,
and cynicism.
TRUE FALSE

43. 2-2-43
Correct!
• The statement is false.
• Although anger turned inward can manifest
itself in these ways, if it is employed in a
constructive and controlled manner, anger
suppression can be a useful technique to
manage anger.
BACK NEXT

44. 2-2-44
Incorrect!
• This statement is false.
• Although anger turned inward can manifest
itself in these ways, if it is employed in a
constructive and controlled manner, anger
suppression can be a useful technique to
manage anger.
BACK

45. 2-2-45
Identify actions you can take to “calm”
your anger. (Select all that apply.)
Avoid conflict
Control internal
responses
Drink alcohol to sooth
angry feelings
Control outward
behavior
Put on rose-colored
glasses
Confront source of
anger
Pretend nothing
happened
Let angry feelings
subside

46. 2-2-46
Correct!
• Your answer is correct.
• These are ways to “calm your anger:”
– Let angry feelings subside
– Control your outward behavior
– Control your internal responses
BACK NEXT

47. 2-2-47
Incorrect!
• These are not the actions you should take
to “calm your anger:”
– Avoid conflict
– Confront source of anger
– Pretend nothing happened
– Put on rose-colored glasses
– Drink alcohol to help sooth angry feelings
BACK

48. 2-2-48
Summary

49. 2-2-49
Review
• Define anger and identify some causes
• Recognize ways to express and manage
anger

50. 2-2-50
Review
• Anger can be your friend or enemy; it
depends on the way in which you choose to
express it.