‘Anger’ is undoubtedly an important gift to humanity when accompanied by the Wise Mind.
‘Anger’ is an emotion we all want to avoid or experience. In today’s society, where losing control of intense emotions is frowned upon, expressing anger or failing to control anger can be seen as a flaw. We often try to avoid feeling angry in various situations, such as when we suffer losses or when things don’t go as planned.
However, ‘anger’ serves a very useful function for us humans. When we fail or encounter difficulties, ‘anger’ helps us shake off intense feelings of depression and find new paths to move forward. It generates hormones that awaken us, enabling us to confront obstacles.
In Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), through skill training, we learn that what we perceive as negative ‘anger’ isn’t necessarily bad; it serves valuable functions. Since the release of Dr. Linehan’s DBT workbook in 1993, eliminating negative emotions has not been the ultimate goal of therapy. Rather, the goal is to thoroughly and compassionately understand these so-called negative emotions, to first understand their functions, and then to learn to tolerate them. Understanding and accepting these emotions are crucial therapeutic goals for emotion regulation.
Recent research has published findings on the beneficial functions of ‘anger’. The study suggests that experiencing anger when faced with challenging goals helps in achieving those goals.
In experiments involving over 1000 participants, situations such as solving difficult puzzles, playing video games, or scenarios to prevent economic losses, anger was found to enhance problem-solving abilities and prompt rapid responses.
In Korea, the Confucian and Buddhist traditions have long recognized this fact and have taught us not to despise the emotion of ‘anger’ but to use it wisely for our development. It encouraged us to reflect on ‘anger’ as a mirror, teaching us not to simply express anger but to resolve it.
So, instead of avoiding ‘anger’, instead of simply expressing it, and without using it to fuel aggression and becoming embodiments of wrath for our goals, understanding the message that ‘anger’ presents to us and resolving it with a calm mind is the key.
‘Anger’ is undoubtedly an important gift to humanity when accompanied by the Wise Mind.
It seems that ‘anger’ will be a good topic for future research.
Reference
Lench, H. C., Reed, N. T., George, T., Kaiser, K. A., & North, S. G. (2023). Anger has benefits for attaining goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication.
Post in 심리치료 & 건강
Tagged DBT, 마인드풀니스, 화, 분노, 감정