Anger and Trauma
When faced with an extreme threat, people often respond with anger. The energy produced by anger helps the person shift their attention, thoughts, and actions away from a threat to survival. Anger is also a common response when a person feels they are treated unjustly or betrayed by others. Early childhood abuse may also negatively affect an adult’s ability to properly control emotional outbursts.
If this anger response becomes stuck, as may happen in PTSD, the person responds to all stress as if it is a threat to survival. The person may respond with immediate outrage at home, at work, or anywhere, and have difficulty controlling angry outbursts (i.e., anger management issues).
The following key factors can influence whether a person responds immediately with anger to an incident that does NOT involve an extreme threat.
Arousal:
A person with PTSD may stay in a high level of arousal, feeling on edge, keyed up, irritable, with the corresponding physical changes in their heart, lungs, glands, and brain. Their bodies stay on high alert, ready to fight off danger. Anything perceived as the slightest threat provokes them to intense anger. Many complicate their control by using alcohol or drugs to reduce tension, thereby reducing their internal restraints further.
Behavior:
Individuals who were victims of abuse or violence at a young age often learned to be aggressive to handle threats. They may resort to the same learned behavior by instinct or on impulse as an adult. They also use aggressive non-physical behaviors such as complaining, chronic tardiness or absenteeism, “backstabbing,” purposeful poor job performance, self-blame, or self-injury.
Thoughts and Beliefs:
A person with PTSD may begin to perceive threats all around, not just where a threat exists. They may not realize how pervasive their “unsafe zone” has become. The person may have strong beliefs about the unfair trauma experienced in the workplace. Adding these rules and requiring them to be followed gives him some control over his environment. Unfortunately, it also alienates his coworkers or family.
The goal in helping with this response is to find ways to decrease the underlying emotion.
Arousal:
Learn relaxation skills or use exercise to release built-up tension.
Behavior:
Separate from the trigger (i.e., walk away), write out feelings, talk to someone, change the reaction pattern from “act first, think later” to “think first, act later.”
Thoughts/Beliefs:
Learn to replace destructive, negative thoughts with a planned substitute phrase. For example: “Even if I don’t have control here, I won’t be threatened in this situation.” Or “Others do not have to be perfect in order for me to survive or be comfortable.”
Sources
Chemtob, C.M., Novaco, R.W., Hamada, R.S., Gross, D.M., & Smith, G. (1997). Anger regulation deficits in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of Traumatic Stress, 10(1), 17-35.
