In this first session, you will get a general overview of the Domestic Violence Reduction Training. This
includes the purpose of the program to build skills around a major player in Domestic and Family Violence; anger. It will also lay out rules, definitions of anger and aggression, myths about
anger, information about anger as a habitual response, and the introduction of the anger meter
used to monitor anger.
Violence and the problem of anger: Some Operational Definitions
In the most general sense, anger is a feeling or emotion that ranges from mild irritation to intense
fury and rage. Anger is a natural response to those situations where we feel threatened, we
believe harm will come to us, or we believe that another person has unnecessarily wronged us.
We may also become angry when we feel another person, like a child or someone close to us, is
being threatened or harmed. Anger can be a positive emotion—a moral response to injustice or a
rational response to a threat—and it can be expressed in assertive and productive ways. In addition,
anger may result from frustration when our needs, desires, and goals are not being met. When we
become angry, we may lose our patience and act impulsively, aggressively, or violently.
People often confuse anger with aggression. Aggression is behavior that is intended to cause
harm to another person or damage property. This behavior can include verbal abuse, threats, or
violent acts. Anger, on the other hand, is an emotion and does not necessarily lead to aggression.
Therefore, a person can become angry without acting aggressively.
A term related to anger and aggression is hostility. Hostility refers to a complex set of attitudes
and judgments that motivate aggressive behaviors. Whereas anger is an emotion and aggression
is a behavior, hostility is an attitude that involves disliking others and evaluating them negatively.
In this program, you will learn helpful strategies and skills to manage anger, express anger in
constructive ways, solve problems, change hostile attitudes, and prevent aggressive acts, such as
verbal abuse and violence.