There are actually many different types of anger, each with their own unique psychological origin and nature of presentation. Scientific research (#1) indicates two common causes of anger:

(1) ongoing unresolved stress that accumulates and ultimately surpasses what normal coping strategies can manage, and

(2) persistent life circumstances that obstruct what one has sought or desired, i.e., numerous failed attempts at being promoted at work, thus disappointing a person’s longing for financial and professional security.

 

Each of these causes of anger has been linked to psychiatric problems including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse/addiction as well as to medical issues including hypertension and heart disease.

 

An emerging cause of anger that is becoming increasingly prevalent among both men and women is narcissistic rage. Narcissistic rage (#2) refers to a specific type of emotional dysregulation that occurs in individuals who are narcissistically vulnerable, often from unresolved events occurring early in one’s life.

 

Individuals who are narcissistically vulnerable lack healthy narcissism. Healthy narcissism refers to a deep sense of security and inner goodness that occurs primarily through the positive feedback and validation one receives from others. Think of the child whose drawing of an ocean and sun is enthusiastically praised by a parent who then frames the drawing and positions it prominently in the home. The child’s production clearly has been embraced by the parent, signaling to the child that not only the drawing but the child who drew it, are inherently good.

 

In Freudian theory, the parent’s provision of validation and affirmation to the child results in the child’s experiencing a state of grandiosity (#3), a vital foundational component of healthy self-esteem, poise, and security. The child who feels “grandiose” has been affirmed by the world and, consequently, as development proceeds into adolescence and young adulthood, is not always hungry for the affirmation of others. The healthy narcissism of this individual is sustaining, affording a consistently secure sense of self.

 

Individuals who have not been afforded these “narcissistic supplies” (#4) early on in life, or who have experienced ruptures in their interpersonal relationships by the very people who should have provided the validation needed, become what psychologists refer to as “narcissistically vulnerable.”

 

Narcissistic vulnerability (#5) easily and consistently evolves into narcissistic rage. Here is how this typically works: an individual who is narcissistically vulnerable and always in need of affirmation and validation is criticized at work by her boss, for example; whether the criticism is deserved or not doesn’t really matter – what does matter is that the very person who the employee values and from whom the employee seeks approval did not provide it. To defend against the hurt emerging from yet another invalidation, what transpires in the narcissistically vulnerable employee is covert or overt rage expressed via numerous types of aggression including passive-aggressive behavior (#6) toward the boss and/or self-destructive acts of aggression.

 

While we all experience the disappointment of not being seen or viewed in a positive light by those whom we value, ordinarily we get over it, try to do better, and move on. But narcissistically vulnerable individuals are not so fortunate; they experience common setbacks and rejections as threatening personal attacks upon their identity and respond with intense rage to oppose this threat. Various psychotherapeutic formats including individual therapy and group therapy may be effective in helping a person understand the origins of their narcissistic vulnerability and finding alternatives to rage in managing their emotional lives.

 

References

1. https://pages.uncc.edu/richard-mcanulty/wp-content/uploads/sites/268/2013/09/Anger-in-psychological-disorders-Prevalence-presentation-etiology-and-prognostic-implications-.pdf
2. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/narcissistic-rage
3. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01606/full
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissistic_supply
5. http://www.sakkyndig.com/psykologi/artvit/pistole1995.pdf
6. https://lifelessons.co/personal-development/covertpassiveaggressivenarcissist/

 

James Tobin, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist based in Newport Beach, CA. His clinical practice consists of individual, group, and family therapy, with an emphasis on interpersonal patterns and relational dynamics that obstruct one’s access to truth, fulfillment, and intimacy. The executive coaching component of Dr. Tobin’s practice focuses on helping executives and teams identify and navigate psychological forces in the workplace.