Containing Anger

R E T H I N K

Recognizing anger;

Empathizing with the other person;

Thinking about the situation;

Hearing what is said;

Integrating respect and love;

Noticing your body’s reactions; and,

Keeping your attention on the problem.

Research suggests that aggressive behaviors established in early childhood become stable behavior patterns and are transferred from home to school and the workplace and to the next generation. Anger has a causal link to aggressive outbursts. A study showed that people got angry on the average of six times a day. This anger is commonly directed to someone known or loved rather than strangers. What skills are lacking that let anger turn into aggressive behavior towards some people and be controlled with others? Anger is not the problem, it is what results from out-of-control anger that is the problem.

RETHINK is a program which helps parents and teens channel their anger to constructive outputs as opposed to out-of-control anger which may tip off aggressive behaviors which are considered to be unproductive displays of anger. The program includes role play, discussion, and video clips which are based on the letters of RETHINK.