ABSTRACT
There is some instinctual basis for anger and aggression as a necessary part of survival. However, despite the prevalence of aggression and violence throughout all of human history, aggression is not inevitable, anger and violence can be managed. Anger is both an emotional reaction against pain and it also carries with it a natural anaesthetic: by getting angry one cover the pain. The characteristics that are common for anger-prone people with difficulties in anger control and management are: high levels of tension; high impulsivity; poor empathy; low tolerance of frustration; self-defeating anger; and so on. Behavioural characteristics can include: disproportionate outbursts of anger; limited repertoire of responses; overt or threatening behaviour; physical violence. Some people come from angry families, have been highly exposed to anger, and thus "learnt" at an early age that anger has some benefits. When they are frustrated, they get angry, and then they get their own way.
