The Anger Habit

In this summary you will learn

• How anger arises from the desire to control others
• How parents and children may become trapped in a cycle of frustration and anger
• How to kick the anger habit

getAbstract rating

Why you should read The Anger Habit

This short book offers a solution to a difficult and dangerous problem: habitual, uncontrollable anger. Such anger, explain authors Carl Semmelroth and Donald E. P. Smith, is a bad habit, and other habits may trigger it. Just as smokers get the urge for a cigarette at certain times, such as after a meal, while having a drink or while socializing, angry people assert their anger according to repetitive patterns. They may explode, for example, in response to inconsiderate drivers, disobedient children or perceived slights from employers. They stoke their tantrums with feelings of frustration and negative interpretations of the conduct of others. They fantasize frequently about how they will get control over those they see as their antagonists. Semmelroth and Smith do not tell anger addicts to temper their outbursts. Instead, they believe angry people must break the habit altogether, by replacing rage with reason and trying to understand the deeper side of their own feelings. Although this idea has merit, the authors offer their prescription with, perhaps, less than fair warning of just how difficult it is to change habits as deeply rooted as those that nourish anger. With this caution, getAbstract.com suggests that people whose rages have become uncontrollable - or those who have to work or live with them - may benefit greatly from the ideas in this book.

About the Authors

Carl Semmelroth, Ph.D., has been a mental health practitioner in Michigan for more than 25 years. Donald E. P. Smith, Ph.D., is emeritus professor of educational psychology at the University of Michigan. He is the author of six books and numerous journal articles.