Why We Get Mad

When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry count to 100 – timeless advice from Thomas Jefferson. In this definitive book on anger, the author draws on 20 years of research as well as his own family experience of being on the receiving end and a few of his own meltdowns. His basic approach is to regard anger as fuel that needs to be controlled and channelled. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which introduces the psychology and biology of anger as well as explaining a sequence of processes along with cultural and gender factors. He presents his own model, beginning with what he calls the precipitant and leading through appraisal into angry feelings and expressions of anger. The second part addresses violence and impulse control, the damage that anger can wreak in close relationships, its effect on mental and physical health, and the nature of irrational thinking – this is all illustrated with telling case histories, and the reader can undertake a number of self-assessments. The final part is about healthy anger, which explains how it can be understood, managed and used in positive ways. Without anger and outrage at injustice, the energy for revolution and reform would not be galvanised, and some of the greatest works of art like Picasso's Guernica would never have been created. Many of us have issues with anger and its expression and will benefit from the insights of this important and authoritative book.