Psychology and Pedagogy of AngerRichardson, Roy Franklin
Science
Psychology and Pedagogy of Anger
Richardson, Roy Franklin
Anger
It may be said that anger which disappears in an unsatisfactory manner
leaves an emotional disposition which possesses potentialities of both
pleasant and unpleasant feelings. Some persons seem to derive much
satisfaction in picking the sores of their unhealed resentments; little
acts of revenge and retaliation are suddenly hit upon; even hate may
have its pleasures. Small acts of revenge and retaliation are observed
with an affective state which cannot be called anger, but the subject is
aware that it refers to the anger which is passed. One subject became
severely angry at his grocer and went to trade with another merchant
near by. He states that on several occasions just after the anger, when
buying at another place he felt pleased at the other man’s having lost
his trade. Once he observes, “I believe I bought several things I did
not need, I felt I was retaliating and enjoyed it.” The emotional
disposition following anger may be a source of rather intense enjoyment.
Laughter and mirth are observed with the appearance of an idea that has
humiliated the offender. In such cases the laughter is purely
spontaneous with no recall of anger. Subject J. broke out laughing when
told that X. was on unfavorable terms with Y. His laughter, he observes,
referred to a resentment a few days before against X. In fact laughter
frequently springs rather suddenly from the mental disposition which has
followed from anger. Such cases afford another instance of the close
intimacy of our emotions with each other. The residuum of potential
feelings from an emotion of anger appears in the form of less active
pleasantness.
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