Festering anger over the senseless deaths of four children who became the latest victims of political violence in Trat province and Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong has put Veena, a noodle vendor with an avid interest in politics, on an emotional roller coaster. As she closely monitors what daily newspapers have to say on the deaths, she gets irate and begins to spew a tirade of insults about ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his red-shirt supporters, whom she blames for being behind the incident. “They’re the aggressor, so terrible,” Veena says.
But anger hurts no one but the person who gets angry. As Veena grapples to control the spilling over of emotions, she reports a string of physical ailments such as insomnia, a loss of appetite, shortness of breath and anxiety.
Hers isn’t a unique case. The sight of people shouting venom and expletives on cable TV and online, as well as the prevalence of hate speech filled with aggression, have become something of an everyday occurence. Veena, and many like her, find themselves in a vortex of political uncertainty that, if unattended, can emotionally consume the core fabric of Thai society, bringing on a slew of physical ailments to individuals that can tip over into clinical conditions.
Pisinee Dangwung said the recent death of children in such circumstances and political talk of dividing the country can trigger grief, shock, denial and anger, which eventually subside if the individual does not suffer from a mental disorder.
The psychologist cites many factors that induce or accelerate our outpouring of anger.
“Constant fear of cyber bullying in social media can cause individuals to easily get upset and angry, so I would advise shortening the time one spends on the internet, or for that matter, reading and watching the news. While it is important to keep abreast of the political situation, it is equally essential people pay attention to their emotional health, which if neglected can take a physical toll on them. Continue with your daily activities as best you can. It is important to not make important decisions when you are angry," she said.
“Another crucial factor to remember in our current predicament is that it is okay to have conflicting political ideologies. We have to all strive towards learning the concept of coexistence. We cannot bring back the good old days, so the faster we can manage to do this the better for everyone.’’
Pisinee said that while anger that is induced due to political conflict is considered rather normal, it becomes an issue when it manifests itself in violent acts. She said anger is just like most emotions in that it is contagious. Human behaviour can be adversely influenced when people are in a crowd, she said.
“Negative emotions surface more easily in an environment where a person feels he or she is surrounded by others who share the same goals as him or her and, therefore, people become less threatened and more liberated to express their feelings,” noted Pisinee.
“It should also be noted that a gathering of people with a common purpose can be easily manipulated by their leader as a result of trust. If their leader uses keywords that instigate anger when addressing the crowd, it is totally possible for the audience to become angry and act violently. Such behaviour will also not benefit any political cause.”
Major signs that indicate anger issues in a person include violence and/or aggression towards others, physical or verbal abuse directed at an opposing side, frequent engagement in arguments, yelling, cursing and swearing, unstable moods, inability to make decisions and standing by to see its outcome, use of threats, use of silent treatment for a long period of time, use of anger as a tool to control and manipulate others, and shame following inappropriate release of anger.
To manage one’s anger systematically, Pisinee said it is crucial to recognise when an issue arose, what triggered it, and make an effort to avoid being in that situation. Identifying a coping strategy that works best for the individual always helps. If possible, remove oneself from a situation that might cause strong emotions and then deal with the reasons afterwards. Confiding in someone about pent-up anger or penning it in a journal also can prove beneficial. Working out regularly and sleeping seven to eight hours at night also go a long way. Benefits of counselling are also far reaching, said Pisinee, because for one it increases self-awareness on how to deal with anger in an appropriate manner. Building the ability to identify and understand anger-related issues eventually increases the person’s self-esteem. With the help of experts, she said people will be more in control during stressful decision-making situations and will experience a marked improvement in their communication and social skills. Their relationships with family and friends will be enhanced, while they will take more responsibility for their actions.
While searching for the right mental health professional, Pisinee said it is important to look to see whether the individual has a graduate degree in counselling, psychology, marriage and family therapy or social work. Be it a therapist, counsellor, psychologist, psychotherapist or social worker, the person must have a solid background in anger management therapy. People should feel comfortable talking with their therapist, who in turn must encourage the client and be open to how the person views his or her treatment. Therapists are also called on to update the individual on their short-term and long-term goals and what to expect at the end of each session.
On studies carried out on the topic, Pisinee said: “Recent research by the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, Glasgow University, narrowed the six basic emotions of human beings to four. Anger is still recognised as one of them, therefore it is fair to say that it is not considered an abnormal emotion. What it tells us is that something has gone wrong or is about to go wrong and that we should do something about it.
“Anger is subjective. We have all experienced it in different circumstances, based on our family background, values, beliefs, socio-economic status, religion and yes, political stance. These things constantly evolve throughout our lifetime.
“For example, when someone says something offensive to us, we get angry and our anger drives us to stand up for ourselves. So it depends on what we perceive as offensive. One individual may be provoked by a message while another is not. Similarly, the same message may be found offensive by a person at one stage in his life but not another.
“We get angry when we see wrong deeds being committed upon innocent people and we do something to help them. That would be another example. Anger drives us to protect someone in need. People tend to want to be good Samaritans if they grow up in a typical family where the concept of right and wrong is taught and they are encouraged to act accordingly.
“Consequently, it is important to teach children at a young age to learn to manage anger properly. People are also motivated to act in a socially acceptable way in order to gain the acceptance of others. Unfortunately, are been parents who have not instilled in their children the need to be emphatic towards others. It is more likely for these types of people to grow up to ignore the pain of others or become abusers themselves.”
To enable a person to be better equipped to cope with anger issues, Pisinee said the individual should be able to recognise what is going on in their mind and understand his or her emotions well enough to control and manage them. This is a skill, she said, that should be taught to everyone at an early age by their primary caretakers, teachers, friends and people in society.
“We also have to make it clear that anger and violence is not the same thing. Anger is a negative emotion, while violence is a behavioural act that is committed when a person is angry. You can let go of your anger without resorting to violence," Pisinee concluded.