​Anger Management and Oppositional Behavior

Frequent and intense anger can lead to a variety of social and physical problems. Children who engage in high levels of anger are more likely to have trouble maintaining social relationships and are at an increased risk for medical conditions.

Certainly, expressing anger can have important value in our society.  However, long-term anger is typically problematic and often leads to significant mental health problems and, sometimes, to school expulsions and legal issues. Psychological treatments such as assertiveness training, barbing, and other cognitive-behavioral techniques have been shown to be effective in reducing anger responses and increasing prosocial behavior. Individuals who engage in high levels of anger are more likely to have trouble maintaining social relationships and are at an increased risk for hypertension and coronary heart disease. The primary goal of these effective techniques is to teach young people how to use appropriate verbal expressions to indicate frustration and upset, instead of resorting to verbal put-downs, shouting, profanity, and/or physical actions such as pushing, shoving or hitting.