ABSTRACT
According to the proposed model, anger is generated or elicited when there is discrepancy between the actual state (detector) and the desired state (motivator), resulting in a transient state. However, there are two additional conditions to be met. First, the actual state needs to be sufficiently discrepant from the desired state. Second, as a multiple control system, the desired state needs to be of considerable importance in the individual’s hierarchy. In general, the degree of discrepancy is inversely associated with the importance or significance of the desired state to the individual in the generation of anger. Stated differently, if a certain desired state is highly important to the individual, even a small discrepancy might trigger anger. In contrast, if a certain desired state is less important, then a larger discrepancy might be needed to trigger anger. In short, anger will be generated in a following fashion:
Generation of anger = f [(DS − AS), ]
where DS is the desired state, AS is the actual state, and is the importance of the desired state. Importance is described as a subscript to denote its secondary function in the generation of anger. The following scenario will be used to illustrate this formula.
