Description of the Treatment Strategy

Providing therapy for persons having recurrent anger problems is a challenging clinical enterprise. This turbulent emotion, ubiquitous in everyday life, is a feature of a wide range of clinical disorders. It is commonly observed in various personality, psychosomatic, and conduct disorders; in schizophrenia, [Page 7]bipolar mood disorders, organic brain disorders, and impulse control dysfunctions; and in a variety of conditions resulting from trauma. The central problematic characteristic of anger in the context of such clinical conditions is that it is “dysregulated”; that is, its activation, expression, and effects occur without appropriate controls.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anger augments clients' self-regulatory capacities. It aims to minimize anger frequency, intensity, and duration and to moderate anger expression. It is an ...