Coping With Anger & Stress: When to Get Help

Stress and anger often go hand in hand. For many of us, financial issues are the greatest cause of stress. Am I going to have enough hours this month? What if I get sick? The pressure to make enough to have a place to live and cover all the bills can wear us down, adding additional tension to already overwhelmed lives .  It is during these times of stress and emotional strife, that we are the most prone to a dangerous level of anger. We might begin, on an unconscious level, to look for any reason to yell, or start a fight, in order to relieve some of the pressure. The more stressed you become, the more the smallest things can set you off.  You know, common everyday things like someone changing lanes without signaling,or  maybe your spouse or child hasn't taken out that trash yet. Whatever the case, it is up to us to be aware and recognize when we feel ourselves starting down overload road and getting angry about things that normally wouldn't matter. It is up to us to be responsible, and to look for appropriate ways of releasing our stress and anger before it harms ourselves or loved ones. 


There are many different ways to calm down and relax. If any of these symptoms of system overload sounds like you or someone you love, I encourage you to find what works for you, or your loved one to de-stress and reclaim  a calmer quality of life.  

For more information about anger management, and a free consultation please visit our website at www.nvamc.com, or call 1-888-992-6479 today.       

Mob Mentality: Avoiding the Trap of GroupThink

The de-evolution of societal norms is becoming such a common occurence that we are seeing it's like on an almost daily basis. A good example is demonstrated in a recent display of mob mentality at a High School Prep ralley in Florida. In this particular example,  a football referee was violently attacked by a group of angry coaches and players, due to a collective impression of bias associated with unfavorable calls affecting the outcome of the team's score. Individually, the probability of any of the coaches or players involved physically attacking the referee is negligible at best. However, as a group, they created a seperate identity with normative values uniqully assigned to their shared purpose resulting in an angry mob bent on getting their way by any means available. In short, a 'mob mentality.'
A mob mentality is a mind set that often occurs when a crowd takes on an identity of its own, seperate and devoid of the distinct identities of the individuals that embody the collective, yet joined by a shared sense of purpose. According to Don Forsyth, a professor at The Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, "the concept of mob mentality first developed in the 1800s, when French sociologist Gustave Le Bon wrote The Crowd." Per a recent article by Lacey Schley, of Medill,  Forsyth further proposed that one possible theory explaining the origin of a central group identity is the social psychology concept of "deindividuation." Phil Zimbardo, a social scientist and professor at Stanford University, most noted for his classic 1971 psychosocial experiment entitled The Stanford Prison Experiment, in which graduate students voluteered to enact the roles of either inmate or prison guard. As a result, Zimbardo is considerd to be the foremost authority on the conceptual theory of deindividuation, which is a social therory that posits the embracement of the group cultural identity in place of individual values.    
Avoiding the contagion of mob mentality in modern society is not easy, but it can be done. 'Group think' can be avoided by being aware of yourself in relation to others. Angry mobs, violent or aggresive behavior, dissolutionment, verbal anger and public discontent, dialectic politics, etc, are all signs of mob mentality, group think, and deindividuation. Monitoring your own behavior when alone and within a group is the key. With awareness, we can regulate the amount of deviation between our individual values and those associated with a group. Angry outbursts, public violence, verbal and physical aggression are all traits that are the antithesis of societal norms, yet accepted within the group culture resulting from a sense of safety associated with the collective. You do not have to allow youself to become a mob member, or surrender your individual beliefs. Personal vigilence and social awareness will assist with the deescalation of anger, violence and other symptoms of a mob mentality.

If you would like more information regarding anger management, regulating emotions, avoiding angry outbursts or other symptoms of violence please visit our website at www.nvamc.com or call us at 1-888-992-6479.

For more information regarding mob mentality, the Stanford Prison Experiment, or the violence at the High School prep rally please visit the following websites.

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=205860

http://rivals.yahoo.com/highschool/blog/prep_rally/post/Coaches-and-players-violently-attack-youth-footb?urn=highschool-wp5326

http://www.prisonexp.org/

Managing Your Anger With The Boss

    It's Saturday morning; you sit in your favorite chair cup of coffee in hand, a nice breakfast laid out in front of you. After a long, and particularly stressful week at work you plan to enjoy your day off, relax, move slowly, not have to rush here and there, spend time with your family and friends, or maybe just catch up on all those  shows saved on your DVR. Whatever you choose to do, it doesn’t matter, this day is yours and you plan on savoring every moment of it. 

You sigh contentedly and lift your fork, about to take your first bite of your lovely breakfast, when the phone rings. Once, you ignore it, twice and you are starting to get irritated, by the third ring you get up just to silence the ringer when you happen to glance down at the caller ID, and notice that your boss is calling.  Great, you think to yourself. You know exactly why he is calling. Either he messed up the scheduling again, or one of your coworkers has called in “sick” and now you are stuck with having to go     in, on your very hard earned day off.

Instantly, your anger is through the roof and you are furious! More than anything, you want to pick up that phone and really give the boss a piece of your mind, but thankfully something stops you; this time. 

While that instant satisfaction would feel great, you know that the consequences of that action would not. You take a few deep breaths and calm yourself before you answer. Sure enough, the boss wants you to come into work. While you don’t want to go in today, you are polite on the phone and go to quickly get ready.

If any of this sounds familiar, you are not alone! Life is not always pleasant, situations that make you angry will always pop up. It is how you respond to those situations that really matter. Just because one day sucks, is no reason to let anger rule your judgment, and cause you to act out ruining many more days to come. Each day is a new beginning, and each moment offers you a new course to take. Make sure you decide to take the best course every time, by not letting anger cloud your mind. One anger management technique to quickly get yourself back under control is to close your eyes, and count to ten while taking several slow deep breaths. Another is to tear paper into little pieces. Redirecting your hot thoughts away from the trigger is the key to regaining your self control.

If you or a loved one are struggling with anger, and it feels out of control, perhaps it is time to seek professional help. For more information and a free consult, please call 1-888-992-6479, or visit us at www.nvamc.com.