Anger and symptoms
Anger is often overlooked or misunderstood in psychopathology as well as in everyday relationships. In pathology, one sees anger behind a variety of symptoms. For example, many people are raised to believe anger is a forbidden, scary affect. They may develop obsessive-compulsive symptoms, such as checking and rechecking locks, lights, and so on. Clinical work shows us that fear of anger and loss of control are often behind these symptoms.
Anger also plays a role in people who tend to be more or less paranoid, that is, feeling that others are out to hurt or impede them. The conviction that others are out to do harm to one seems to have roots in two places, “outside” and “inside” the person: i.e., outside reality or inside feelings.
Regarding “outside,” if one has been the childhood victim of chronic physical or verbal abuse, or a veteran who has become hyper-vigilant due to war trauma, these patterns can be embedded into the brain and create a sense of wariness and fear of harm by others. These people have learned to be wary. Their challenge may be to adapt to a current reality, which is more benign than their past reality.
With respect to “inside,” anger, which one feels internally, can be “projected” (attributed) onto another person. This occurs especially if anger is seen as forbidden, with a need to deny the anger. In other words, it’s as if one is saying, “I’m not angry at you; you are angry at me.” It is a reversal.
Projection is a very important mechanism. Nightmares and other aspects of “paranoia”—many of these are due to one’s own anger being projected onto the outside world.
Why does the anger need to be attributed elsewhere? Often because the person has been made to feel that the anger is unacceptable or forbidden or too intense or scary. This gets us back to the basics—anger is a built-in feeling, an SOS signal, a response to too much stimulation. If one tries to prohibit this feeling or its expression, the resulting fear can lead to a need to project angry feelings onto figures outside of oneself.
“Narcissistic injuries”
Another important aspect of anger and psychopathology involves so-called “narcissistic injuries” or blows to one’s sense of self and self-esteem. When one’s feelings are hurt, or when one is criticized/shamed/humiliated, this kind of stimulation leads to distress. Bob Dylan writes in “Things Have Changed”: “I hurt easy, I just don’t show it. You can hurt someone and not even know it. The next sixty seconds could be like an eternity.”
If there is too much criticism or sense of attack or accusation, what happens?
Recall the basics: The distress becomes excessive and turns into anger and rage. This is the so-called “narcissistic injury,” which results in rage. Examples? Think of “road rage,” being honked at, the sense of being criticized or accused, and the anger which can result.
