ABSTRACT
There is a widespread belief among health professionals that unexpressed anger causes a great many physiological and psychological problems that can be alleviated by getting the individual to express anger, “getting it out of the system” so to speak. A dispassionate examination of the literature, however, suggests that the evidence for such a view is extremely limited and questionable. In fact, the ventilation viewpoint may have obscured the fact that the unbridled expression of anger may lead to very negative social consequences and increased tension for the individual.
