It’s crucial to possess honed clinical skills in assessment and intervention when working with anger as the way it is expressed can be extremely varied and complex. This infographic details common expressions of anger that therapists need to look out for including:
- Physical: Tightening of muscles, redness in the face or neck, trembling hands or legs or clenching to restrain anger.
- Verbal: Raising voice, using biting humour, self-criticism or use of profanity to vent feelings.
- Behavioural: Aggression, withdrawal, indirect expressions like procrastination or sulking and impulsivity
- Emotional: Feeling blocked or thwarted in achieving goals, irritability, resentment, overwhelm
- Cognitive patterns: Focusing on perceived wrongs or injustices, viewing situations in black-and-white terms, catastrophising
Learn more about this topic in our knowledge hub article – Anger and ACT.
