ANGER: The Misunderstood Emotion

by Carol Tavris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 10, 1982

A challenge to old ways of thinking about anger--without a whole new way to put in their place. Social psychologist Tavris attributes a lot of the myths to ""the anger industry, psychotherapy, which too often is based on the belief that inside every tranquil soul a furious one is screaming to get out."" Thanks to our Freudian legacy, we also believe that anger is a natural response to either frustration or threat; that it precipitates an ""instinctive catharsis of aggression""; that unexpressed anger turns inward to become depression, guilt, and such. Not so, says Tavris; not only does this ""ventilationist approach"" make the world a noisier place, but expressed anger often leads to a vicious cycle of escalating anger. (""What in this scenario is 'cathartic'?"") As regards anger's ostensible place in physical disorders, Tavris points out that the suppressed-anger theory of ulcers has been largely disproven; that the presumed cases of overweight are manifold; that so-called Type A persons, at high risk for heart disease, might be suffering the effects not of hostility but of highly competitive individualism coupled with lack of strong social bonds. And Tavris finds no difference between men and women in the expression of anger: it's equally difficult for both, she contends--they just disagree on the appropriateness of anger in specific situations. The text is largely based on research in the social and biological sciences (an extensive bibliography is provided), with a sprinkling of quotes from 50 interviews. Stimulating--and also potentially comforting--even if not fully persuasive.

Pub Date: Jan. 10, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1982

Categories: NONFICTION