Preventing Anger from Spiraling Out of Control — Anger Management #83

Mental health issues are gaining attention as a social challenge.
There are various factors behind this, but one that cannot be overlooked is the presence of emotions such as "anger" and "irritation."

As the Japanese term for human emotions (kidoairaku) suggests, anger is one of the natural emotions inherent in human beings.
In other words, it is impossible to completely eliminate anger itself, and it is something everyone possesses.

However, there are significant individual differences in how it is expressed and handled.

■ Where does anger come from?

The objects of anger are truly diverse.

For example, there is the helpless anger toward events beyond one's control, such as natural disasters.
There is also anger directed at oneself when results do not meet expectations.

However, it is said that the most common source of anger in modern society is stress stemming from human relationships.

So, why do people feel anger?

It is considered a reaction that occurs when there is a gap between one's internal values of "how things should be" and reality.
The difference between ideals and reality accumulates as dissatisfaction, which then manifests as anger.

While anger is a natural emotion, it causes serious problems when control is lost.

In recent years, as symbolized by the term "kireru" (snapping), troubles and incidents resulting from runaway emotions have become social issues.

In many of these cases, emotions take precedence without being accompanied by the logic or morality of an argument.

Such a state destroys relationships with those around us and, as a result, has a major negative impact on both individuals and organizations.

■ The concept of anger management

Against this backdrop, “Anger Management” is gaining attention.

Anger refers to emotions such as rage and irritation, and anger management is the set of skills and ways of thinking used to properly understand and control them.

It is said to have been originally developed in the United States in the 1970s as a rehabilitation program for domestic violence offenders and petty criminals.
However, due to the changing times, it is now widely incorporated into general society and corporate training.

The important point is that it is not about "eliminating" anger.

The essence of anger management lies in expressing anger appropriately when it is necessary to do so, and not being swayed by emotions when it is not.

“Expressing anger appropriately” here does not mean lashing out with emotions.
It means logically organizing the situation, communicating it to the other party, and guiding things in a better direction.

At the same time, consideration is required to avoid spreading unnecessary stress to surrounding relationships.

On the other hand, focusing too much on just suppressing anger can lead to creating different kinds of stress.
Therefore, it is important to organize one's emotions in a way that feels convincing to oneself.

■ Anger management as learning

I myself have had the experience of attending an anger management seminar.

It began with a self-check to understand my own tendencies toward anger.
Based on that, I learned how to control the intensity of my anger without being dominated by my emotions.

As a more advanced topic, it also covered feedback methods for soothing the anger of others.

Anger is naturally often perceived as something negative, but the energy itself is very powerful.
That is precisely why, if handled properly, it can become a driving force for positive action.

Anger management is not just a technique for controlling emotions.
It is a practical skill for smoothing out human relationships and creating a comfortable working environment.

There are many related seminars and books available.
As a means to lighten daily and workplace stress even a little, I think it is well worth learning.

■ Impact on organizations and growing importance

The introduction of anger management is also progressing in companies.

This is because anger driven by emotion is contagious to those around.
For example, just having one such person in the workplace increases the psychological burden on the entire team.
As a result, the quality of communication declines, which may affect performance.

Furthermore, in April 2022, the amended Labor Measures Comprehensive Promotion Act (the so-called Power Harassment Prevention Act) was fully enforced, making harassment prevention measures mandatory for companies.

Moreover, power harassment is becoming more complex, with cases seen not only from supervisors to subordinates but also from subordinates to supervisors.

I believe this will become an even more important issue in the future.