Murder
Obviously the most serious anger management problems is murder. In 2011, 16,700 Homicides were reported in United States alone. (National Center for Health Statistics)
- A 1997 study by the World Health Organization showed that about 300,000 people are murdered worldwide each year in wars, conflicts, and violence between individuals.
- Young men are at the highest risk of being killed.
- Studies in many countries show that 4 out of 10 deaths of men aged 15 to 24 are due to murder or suicide.
- Every day in the United States, 65 people are killed and more than 6,000 are wounded in interpersonal violence.
Anger and Criminal Behavior
- Anger and power are frequently found as influencing factors in sexualized crimes such as rape (Groth, 1979) and homicide (Geberth, 2003).
- 80% of rapists have displaced anger problems and come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
- According to a 2004 study published in Forensic Science International, criminals with anger management issues or problems dealing with authority were 37 percent more likely to get arrested again.
With violent crime rising among adolescents‚ wide spread familial abuse ‚ continuing racial discord‚ and recent acts of terrorism‚ and massacre of innocent students such as at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech; recent attention has turned to anger as a major problem in human relations.
- Anger and power are frequently found as influencing factors in sexualized crimes such as rape (Groth, 1979) and homicide (Geberth, 2003).
- 80% of rapists have displaced anger problems and come from fatherless homes –14 times the average. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)
- According to a 2004 study published in Forensic Science International, criminals with anger management issues or problems dealing with authority were 37 percent more likely to get arrested again.
With violent crime rising among adolescents‚ wide spread familial abuse ‚ continuing racial discord‚ and recent acts of terrorism‚ and massacre of innocent students such as at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech; recent attention has turned to anger as a major problem in human relations.
- One study from the University of Washington School of Nursing studied anger problems in husbands and wives. Researchers cited previous evidence that anger problems and depressive symptoms have been linked to all major causes of death, but found that wives specifically found a greater association between anger and symptoms of depression, while men tended to instead experience an association between anger and health problems.
- According to a study from Ohio State University, those who had less control over their anger tended to heal more slowly from wounds. Researchers gave blisters to 98 participants and found that, after 8 days, those who had less control over their anger also tended to be slower healers. In addition, those participants also tended to have more cortisol (a stress hormone) in their system during the blistering procedure, suggesting that they may be more stressed by difficult situations as well.
- Another study from Harvard School of Public Health studied hostility in men and found that those with higher rates of hostility not only had poorer pulmonary functioning (breathing problems), but experienced higher rates of decline as they aged.
- Research with children and adolescents shows that anger management is important for the younger set as well. Findings showed that youth who cope inappropriately with their anger are at greater risk for problem-ridden interpersonal relationships. Their health is also at risk; those who cope poorly with anger tend to have more negative outcomes when it comes to both mental and general health. This highlights the fact that anger management is an important skill to learn early.
- These are just a few of the many studies linking anger to physical and emotional health problems, from the obvious to the unexpected. Because poorly managed anger presents such a significant problem in so many areas of life, it’s important to take steps toward learning and using healthy anger management techniques in daily life, along with stress management techniques. The following articles can help with both.
Anger problems and Health
Anger Statistics in the Home
Yet, anger disorders have been neglected and no one has been talking about or addressing the underlying issues until now.
Anger is also responsible for destroying countless marriages. Estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year.
- Anger problems among intimate partners is primarily a crime against women. In 2011, women accounted for 85 percent of the victims of intimate partner violence (588,490 total) and men accounted for approximately 15 percent of the victims (103,220 total).
- Male violence against women does much more damage than female violence against men; women are much more likely to be injured than men.
- Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate with anger management problems.
- The most rapid growth in domestic relations caseloads is occurring in domestic violence filings. Between 1993 and 1995, 18 of 32 states with three year filing figures reported an increase of 20 percent or more.
Domestic Violence & Teen Girls
- Girls and women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rates of non-fatal intimate partner violence.(U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Intimate Partner Violence and Age of Victim,1993-1999.” October 2001.)
- 40% of teenage girls, ages 14 to 17, report knowing someone their age who has been hit or beaten by a boyfriend. (Children Now/Kaiser Permanente “National Poll on Kids Health and Safety,” December 1995.)
- Approximately 1 in 5 teen girls report being physically or sexually hurt by a dating partner. (Jay G. Silverman, Ph.D. et al., “Dating Violence Against Adolescent Girls and Associated Substance Use, Unhealthy Weight Control, Sexual Risk Behavior, Pregnancy, and Suicidality.” Journal of the American Medical Association 286 (October 2001).
Domestic Violence & Children
- In a national survey of more than 6,000 American families, 50 percent of the men who frequently assaulted their wives also frequently abused their children.
- Slightly more than half of female victims of intimate violence live in households with children under age 12.
- Studies suggest that between 3.3 – 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually.
Domestic Violence & Children
- Anger doesn’t just happen at home. Anger problems at work are just as common as in the home. In the United States alone approximately one thousand murders take place in the workplace each year.
- Roughly one million workers are injured each year in violent attacks by coworkers.
- A Study on anger management at work conducted by A Study on anger management at work conducted by The Sunday Times in 2006 found:
- 45% of us regularly lose our temper at work
- 64% of people working in an office have had office rage.
- 38% of men are unhappy at work.
- 27% of nurses have been attacked at work.
- Up to 60% of all absences from work are caused by stress.
- 1 in 20 of us has had a fight with the person living next door.
- UK airlines reported 1,486 significant or serious acts of air rage in a year, a 59% increase over the previous year.
- More than 80% of drivers say they have been involved in road rage incidents; 25% have committed an act of road rage themselves.
- 71% of internet users admit to having suffered net rage.
- 50% of us have reacted to computer problems by hitting our PC, hurling parts of it
Domestic Violence & Children
Compulsions and addictions are great “smoke screens” or distractions from the real issues in our lives. They are also common ways in which we suppress or bury our anger.
- Recent studies have shown Anger plays a role in the behaviors that lead to addictions as well as resultant behaviors from addictions such as pornography.
- Pornography and gambling addiction are becoming much more prevalent, including with teenagers, as access to pornography become easier due to the proliferation of pornographic websites and technology such as smart phones.
Some examples of compulsive/addictive behavior patterns:
Alcohol and drug abuse
Codependency
Love/relationship addiction
Sexual addiction
Compulsive overeating
Anorexia and/or bulimia
Rage addiction
Gambling addiction
Workaholism
Compulsive shopping
Television addiction
Internet compulsion
Video game addiction
Physical illness & Depression often accompany the above.
- Compulsive and addictive behaviors can develop in either of the two above scenarios. Keeping feelings inside doesn’t feel good. It hurts. Drug and alcohol addiction often results from self-medicating the pain that is caused by suppressed emotions.
- Rageaholics may use substances or compulsive behaviors to try to control their rage. “I am so relaxed and pleasant when I drink. I only fly into those rages when I’m sober.” This is a statement from a man in denial, using alcohol to attempt to control his rage.