In “We need to talk about anger” (Life & Arts, April 23) Enuma Okoro framed her article around pieces of art that intrigued as they expressed anger; and ended the column with a comment that “we need to find healthy ways to own [anger], understand it and release it”.
Actually, many have. The ancient Greek philosophers termed “noble anger” as something worth getting angry about. Abraham Maslow, famous for his work on motivation, described “mega-grumbling” as those evocative emotions that deserve our attention and can lead to change for certain social injustices. Albert Bandura’s famous BoBo doll study looked at aggression in children, surmising that purging one’s anger with outward physical violence only increases it.
Carl Jung addressed one’s shadow and how to recognise it, and then befriend it — this is often done through art, and serves to elevate this potent force.
Finally, the emotion of anger left to the brain’s amygdala is a hot primitive anger. When it is not filtered through the prefrontal cortex it leads to mobs and violence.
In the end, reflective thinking serves the purpose, in this case, of defining the anger, and then with emotional intelligence anger can be useful when welded with reason.
Sadly, even as most have these biological capacities, many do not utilise them.
Dylan Gaffney
Psychology Professor
Waterford, CT, US