Interpersonal Violence: Anger, Aggression, or Both?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — “Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first makes angry,” Euripides wrote more than two thousand years ago. Psychologists at the University of Arkansas have revisited the age-old question of the role of anger in human relationships with a 21^st century eye.

“We were surprised at how little is actually known about the emotion we call anger and its relation to aggression, and how much disagreement there is about the role of anger in the treatment of interpersonal violence,” Timothy A. Cavell and Kenya T. Malcolm wrote in the introduction to Anger, Aggression, and Interventions for Interpersonal Violence.

Offering a “state-of-the-science” analysis of what is known about the complex relation between anger and aggression, the book aims to enhance the efforts of clinical practitioners and points the way to further research.

“We are not tragedians, but we are truth seekers [like Euripides]. And we are interested in how anger can distort interpersonal relationships, transforming what was once heartfelt desire into hurtful rage,” Cavell and Malcolm wrote.

Because research in recent times has generally focused on either anger or aggression, current treatments usually target one behavior or the other. Cavell and Malcolm proposed a book with “a distinct mission,” calling on internationally respected researchers with a rich diversity of viewpoints to wrestle with the complex relation between anger and aggression.

“Scholars in both camps identify with the goal of understanding, predicting, and reducing interpersonal violence, but there is little effort to integrate the two bodies of knowledge,” the editors note in the text’s introduction. To guide future research, Cavell and Malcolm identified key themes that emerged from the chapters contributed to the book.

They noted that there is little agreement on how to define or measure anger, a question central to how clinicians understand and treat clients prone to anger and violence. They found strong agreement with the notion that “plumbing deeper” into the nature of the relation between anger, aggression and treatment of violence should yield valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners. While many contributors dismissed the validity of distinguishing between proactive or intentional aggression and reactive aggression, those whose research had focused on children tended to see value in such a distinction. Many questions remain for understanding and developing integrated treatments for anger and aggression.

The text is divided into four major sections, addressing general models for treating clients with anger-related problems, the basic functions of anger and features that distinguish it from other emotions, the anger-aggression relations in children and adolescents, and the role of anger in violent families. Each section identifies questions for future research and addresses what clinical practitioners can do to help clients in the “pernicious trap” of anger and aggression.

Cavell is a professor of psychology and director of clinical training in the department of psychology, J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Malcolm is a doctoral candidate in the UA clinical psychology training program with an interest in children and their peer relationships. Anger, Aggression, and Interventions for Interpersonal Violence is published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, www.erlbaum.com/cavell.