Anger Management

There are actually many different types of anger, each with their own unique psychological origin and symptomatic profile. Over time, the negative effects of anger, specifically, and mood dysregulation, generally, may lead to other psychiatric (e.g., anxiety, depression, and substance abuse/addiction), medical (e.g., hypertension, heart disease), and psychosocial (e.g., relationship and workplace problems) issues.

In a portion of cases, anger and other behavioral outbursts are directly related to a neurochemical predisposition for emotional dysregulation.

For patients in which a neurochemical factor may not be relevant, nor the single causal factor involved, scientific research indicates two pathways to angerproblems: (1) ongoing unresolved stress that accumulates and ultimately surpasses what normal coping strategies can manage, and (2) persistent life circumstances that are disappointing or frustrating.

An emerging cause of anger that is becoming increasingly prevalent among both men and women is narcissistic rage. Narcissistic rage refers to a specific type of emotional dysregulationthat occurs in individuals who are narcissistically vulnerable, often from unresolved events occurring early in one’s life. Individuals who are narcissistically vulnerable lack an internal sense of security and resilient, positive self-esteem.

Narcissistic vulnerability may easily evolve into narcissistic rage. Here is how this typically works: an individual who is narcissistically vulnerable and 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 toward the boss and/or self-destructive acts of aggression.

For other causal pathways leading to the onset of anger management concerns, the persistent and unresolved experience of frustration typically plays a critical role. Repeated failed attempts to attain what one needs or desires ignites a constellation of thoughts and feelings that, in and of themselves, set a person up for continued disappointment.

Frustration usually pivots between internal (“Why are all of my peers more financially successful than me?”)and external (“God is out to get me” or “She dumped me for her awful ex?”) perspectives, tethering an individual to an exaggerated belief system and corresponding restrictions in decision-making and effective action. Psychotherapy attempts to liberate the patient from these restrictions, advancing his or her capacity to more realistically negotiate people and situations, tolerate frustration, and capitalize on opportunities for success and fulfillment.

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15615 Alton Parkway
Suite 450
Irvine, CA 92618

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Monday: 8am - 8pm
Tuesday: 8am - 8pm
Wednesday: 8am - 8pm
Thursday: 8am - 8pm
Friday: 8am - 8pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed