Suppressed Anger: Characteristics, Impacts, and Strategies for Healthy Expression

Suppressed anger occurs when a person becomes aware of their anger but chooses not to express it in a healthy way. This can have negative consequences for both physical and mental health, as well as relationships.

Characteristics of Suppressed Anger

• Emotional Substitution: Instead of feeling anger, people may experience alternative emotions like sadness, depression, anxiety, guilt, or shame.
• Emotional Numbness: Some individuals suppress their emotions to the extent that they may feel emotionally numb or emotionally detached.
• Passive-Aggressive Behavior: To avoid confrontation, some people may engage in passive-aggressive behaviors such as making sarcastic or snide remarks, consistently displaying hostility or cynicism, constantly criticizing others, belittling others, or seeking indirect methods of retribution without disclosing their reasons for being upset.
• Outbursts: After suppressing anger for a prolonged period, some individuals may eventually explode with an intense outburst.

Impacts of Suppressed Anger

• Physical Impacts: Suppressed emotions, like anger, can induce physical stress, resulting in elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and the release of certain hormones, leading to a heightened state of alertness. Prolonged anger suppression can lead to chronic stress, contributing to health issues like hypertension.
• Mental Impacts: Suppressed anger, especially when stemming from feelings of disrespect, devaluation, shame, loss of power or control, can contribute to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or even controlling behaviors related to habits, food, substances, and more.
• Relationship Impacts: Suppressed anger can negatively impact personal relationships, prompting actions that contradict personal values, affecting boundaries, and hindering genuine and authentic interactions. Research conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) indicates that individuals who suppress anger often encounter difficulties in their relationships.

Healthy Expression Strategies for Suppressed Anger

• Mindfulness: Developing awareness of emotions as they arise, observing triggers, and managing them constructively.
• Emotional Management: Educating oneself about emotions, identifying triggers, and learning to acknowledge and accept emotional experiences rather than trying to eliminate them.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT involves replacing unhelpful thought patterns with positive ones and teaching skills to manage intense emotions effectively. Research shows that CBT techniques effectively treat anger and aggression.
• Journaling: Keeping a journal to record what triggers anger, how the experience feels, and how it is responded to can enhance emotional awareness.

Conclusion

Experiencing anger is a normal human emotion, however, suppressing it can lead to adverse effects on relationships, mental well-being, and physical health. Self-awareness, seeking professional help, and employing effective coping strategies can help individuals manage and express anger in a healthy manner.