Psychology and Pedagogy of AngerRichardson, Roy Franklin
Science
Psychology and Pedagogy of Anger
Richardson, Roy Franklin
Anger
Anger which develops from a fore-period of negative self-feeling,
disappears when the subject is able to acquire a positive feeling
attitude toward the offender. It may be accomplished subjectively. The
subject tends to lower his opinion of his opponent, he enjoys an idle
gossip, it may be, at his expense, recalls ill reports he had previously
heard but ignored, and in fact may employ a number of devices of
imagination and make-believe. He at times tends to magnify the
offender’s unworthiness, and may come to the conclusion that he is
scarcely worth troubling about. Mental behavior of this sort is commonly
reported to enhance self-feeling. On the other hand the subject may
accomplish the same end by magnifying his own personal feelings directly
by dwelling on his own good qualities and worth in comparison with that
of the offender. Such comparisons are almost always to the disadvantage
of the opponent. Subject C., in a controversy with X., became angry and
walked away when the emotion was still intense. “I now began to recall
how insignificant he is and how important I am. He is narrow, pedantic
and incapable of seeing a large point of view. I am not so narrow. All
was slightly pleasant and was accompanied by a decreased intensity of my
emotion. I now met X. and joked with him; my anger was entirely gone.”
The feeling of superiority kills anger of the type which arises from a
fore-period of humiliation. It has already been indicated that when a
positive feeling is maintained in receiving an injury, anger does not
arise. The would-be offender if he is regarded as unworthy or
unaccountable for his act, does not usually excite anger. The same
person, however, may stimulate anger by a process of increased irritable
feelings. Subject A. beginning to get angry at X., (a person he holds in
low esteem) observes the following association. “Oh, it is just X., no
use in my getting angry at a fellow like that, he is not responsible
anyway, and I would be foolish to be bothered by him. I had started to
ridicule him but now my emotion was gone.”
A contemplated victory gives pleasure and diminishes anger even before
the victory is attained. The emotion disappears on assuming a positive
determined mental attitude, it may pass off in vehement resolution as to
further behavior. In fact, one may begin and finish his fight through
the medium of ideas and have no enthusiasm left for the actual
encounter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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