What is Anger?Religious perspectives on anger? Christian Buddhism

Religious perspectives on anger

Amongst adherants of Christianity that take the Bible literally, causeless,

excessive, or protracted anger is treated as sinful due to its treatment in the

Antithesis of the Law and in Colossians 3:8, and unbridled wrath is one of the

Seven Deadly Sins. The Bible warns "do not let the sun go down on your anger"

(Eph. 4:26), that is, do not let feelings of anger last so long as to become sinful.

There is, however, what is commonly referred to as "righteous anger," as

demonstrated by Jesus when he made a whip and cleared out the merchants in

the Temple (John 2:13-16).

In Islam, anger is seen as a sign of weakness. The Prophet Muhammad said:

"The strong is not the one who over comes the people by his strength, But the

strong is the one who controls him while in anger."

Anger in Buddhism is defined here as: "being unable to bear the object, or the

intention to cause harm to the object". Anger is seen as aversion with a stronger

exaggeration, and is listed as one of the five hindrances. It is a common

misconception that spiritual saints never get angry. But it is not true, even the

Dalai Lama, the spiritual Guru of Tibetan monks, gets angry[2]. However, there

is a difference, most often a spiritual person is aware of the emotion and the way

it can be handled. Thus, in response to the question: "Is any anger acceptable in

Buddhism?' The Dalai Lama answered:

"Buddhism in general teaches that anger is a destructive emotion and although

anger might have some positive effects in terms of survival or moral outrage, I

do not accept that anger of any kind as a virtuous emotion nor aggression as

constructive behavior. The Gautam Buddha has taught that there are three basic

kleshas at the root of samsara (bondage, illusion) and the vicious cycle of rebirth.

These are greed, hatred, and delusion--also translatable as attachment, anger, and

ignorance. They bring us confusion and misery rather than peace, happiness, and

fulfillment. It is in our own self-interest to purify and transform them" .

In Hinduism, anger is equated with sorrow as a form of unrequited desire. The

objects of anger are perceived as a hindrance to the gratification of the desires of

the angry person. Alternatively if s/he thinks they are superior, the result is grief.

Anger is considered to be packed with more evil power than even desire.

Causes and effects of Anger

Common factors that can lead to irritability include fatigue, hunger, pain,

sexual frustration, recovery from an illness, or the use of certain drugs; hormonal

changes associated with PMS, birth, and menopause, physical withdrawal, bipolar

disorder. Research suggests some individuals may be genetically predisposed to

higher levels of anger. However, generational behaviors relative to primary care

givers' responses to anger actually have a much larger influence in "predispostion"

to anger.

The key factor responsible for anger is the choice to oppose the source of the pain.

Without opposition, we would be left with fear behaviors (running away in the face

of pain, for example). The pain/deprivation does not have to be a physical

pain/threat, it can be emotional pain or abstract (i.e. being lied to). The source of

pain can be directed at objects (i.e., the Universe,). However, feeling pain does not

always lead to anger (for example, bumping a nose into a glass pane and feeling

embarrassed.

Humans often exhibit anger behaviors empathically. For example, reading an

article about a minority experiencing racism. We are not the victim, per se. Thus,

anger, sometimes, makes us sharp and quick to criticize, it can also help us see

what's wrong. Our feelings and emotions are actually serving like intelligence

agents, bringing in news from the field of our experience. We should not dismiss,

ignore, or repress them; righteous anger can help drive compassionate action to

redress injustices in the world. No one can make us angry if the seed of anger is

not in our hearts. Every person has some anger within. Intense angry feelings are

not always unhealthy or destructive or drive negative actions.

Anger is usually magnified and extended in time when a cognitive decision is

made about the intent of the individual (or organization or object) attributed to

causing the pain. In other words, if we decide the pain/deprivation was intentional,

"deliberate," the emotion is usually more intense.

When anger is used to "suppress opposition" though emotional bullying or

violence, the "bullier" and "bullied" often fail to realize that the root of anger is

fear. The "angrier" and more "enraged" an individual appears, the more is it likely

that the individual is experiencing greater fear.

Physiological effects of anger

Emotions more or less begin inside two almond-shaped structures in the

brain which are called the amygdala [1] . The amygdala is the part of the brain

responsible for identifying threats, and for sending out an alarm when threats are

identified. The amygdala is so efficient at warning us about threats, that it gets us

reacting before the cortex (the part of the brain responsible for thought and

judgment) is able to check on the reasonableness of the reaction. In other words,

the brain is networked in such a way as to influence the action before its

consequences are logically considered.

As one becomes angry the body's muscles tense up. Inside the brain,

neurotransmitter chemicals known as catecholamines are released causing you to

experience a burst of energy lasting up to several minutes. At the same time the

heart beat increses, the blood pressure rises, and so does the rate of breathing. The

face may flush as increased blood flow enters the limbs and extremities in

preparation for physical action. In quick succession, additional brain

neurotransmitters and hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline are released which

trigger a lasting state of arousal.

But, most often the emotions to rage are prevented to get out of control. The

prefrontal cortex of the brain, keeps the emotions in proportion. If the amygdala

handles emotion, the prefrontal cortex handles judgment. The left prefrontal cortex

can switch off the emotions. It serves in an executive role to keep things under

control. Getting control the emotion of anger means learning ways to help the

prefrontal cortex get the upper hand over the amygdala so that the angry person has

control over the reactions to anger feelings.