It may seem silly to suggest that some people may choose be sad, depressed, or helpless when presented with injustice yet this may be the way that life has "programmed" us to respond due to safety issues, religious beliefs, or strict parenting that has placed stringent expectations on anger as a "bad" emotion. We may have a desire to respond in a peaceful, non-aggressive manner and it can be difficult to find role models for being angry in this way.
This step in the FOA model suggests that we take time to consider when anger may be appropriate and to what degree this emotion may be helpful. Through consideration of anger prompts and ranking of the corresponding anger, we can learn about our own thoughts, feelings, history, and beliefs that play a part in this justified response.
Take a moment to consider each anger prompt and create some of your own to explore what might be a low anger number versus a high one due to your own unique life perspective. Remember that this is not a punitive exercise that will result in shame or guilt about how angry you may get about a specific scenario but instead an exploration of what your anger may be about.
Please use the following prompts to practice leashing your anger beast. For each activity, rank your anger on a scale between 0 (no anger) to 10 (most anger possible) – then add the reasoning for this number.
1. Without your permission someone else has eaten your clearly labeled lunch at work or school.
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
2. Your neighbor has clipped his bushes and purposely dropped all of the branches onto your side of the property line.
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
3.
You have been overcharged by your electric company by
$100 due to a clerical error. You have received a shut-off notice in the mail and have no telephone number, email, or contact information by which to correct this issue.
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
4. Your mother has tripped and fallen on a sidewalk because the company did not salt when it snowed. She has broken her hip and insurance will only cover half of her expenses.
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
5. You ordered food at a very expensive restaurant. When it arrived more than 2 hours late the order was wrong, the food was cold, and the children you have with you are cranky and miserable because they are hungry.
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
6. Add your own prompt:
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
7. Add your own prompt:
a. Ranking /10
b.
Reasoning:
8. Add your own prompt:
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
9. Add your own prompt:
a. Ranking /10
b. Reasoning:
One consideration for anger is the need for "in the moment" and "post-event" practice that will help to validate and affirm the beliefs that are associated with your anger. It may be that further practice of ranking your anger will lead to a change in your worldview - or conversely - that your anger will be further confirmed by your reasoning. This practice of identifying anger prompts and scenarios will be a skill that can be of help in the next step of Energy.
After considerable time spent on understanding your anger intensity for specific scenarios and careful review of each as a separate anger event, you may be ready to move forward to work on Energy identification.
To do so, please click on the button below.
© 2024 AWI @ Messiah University