Anger, hostility, and aggression are highly studied terms due to their correlations with coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, stomach and gastrointestinal problems, and possible high blood pressure. Although a lot of people think that anger, frustration, hostility, and aggression all refer to the same thing; they are all different, but are highly interconnected and related. A brief definition of anger, hostility, and aggression is provided in this article.

Anger Definition:

Anger is one of the most basic human emotions that is a natural reaction when one feels wronged, attacked, or threatened. As a primary yet powerful emotion, anger has a powerful ability to influence the behaviour of others. In its simplest definition, anger can be defined as a feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or antagonism toward something or someone that you believe has deliberately wronged you in some way.

While anger helps us to defend ourselves against harm, warns us when a problem is approaching, and energises us to act when we feel threatened by others, uncontrolled, irrational anger can be damaging to one’s own self as well as everyone around them. People experience anger when they witness inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour, failure, or disgust. Anger can range from mild to severe and is often directed towards a person or living being. 

Frustration is experienced when our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Essentially, failure to achieve your goal, obstacles in life and feelings of loss of control over situations lead to frustration. Both anger and frustration can produce the same physical and emotional reactions, such as feeling disgust, muscle tension, racing heart, etc.

Hostility 

Hostility is a cognitive component of anger that incites anger and aggression in a person by creating a negative way of thinking. Many theorists believe that hostility is a chronic state of anger or a permanent trait of a person.

Aggression

The term aggression refers to your surfaced anger, that is, your actions. Physical, verbal, and emotional abuse are all forms of aggression that cause to harm the other person or property. Aggression can be either direct or indirect. An aggressive person can directly harm another person verbally abusing or hitting him, or he can indirectly hurt him by neglecting him or spreading false rumours about him. Aggression is often a by-product of anger, but it’s not always the case. People can express aggression without being angry. Typical examples of this type of cold and calculated aggression are terrorism or robbery, where the victim has no relation to the person surfacing aggression.

Anger and aggression related disorder:

Anger and aggression that are uncontrollable and irrational can be a sign of mental illness. Individuals with anger or aggression disorders often engage in irrational and unintentional aggression. Those suffering from such disorders often find it difficult to resist their aggressive impulses. Such individuals don’t understand the severity of their actions or the repercussions.

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Oppositional Defiant and Conduct Disorder Psychotic Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Personality Disorders, and Intermittent Explosive Disorder are some examples of common psychiatric diagnoses for anger and aggressive behaviour.

Anger Management:

Even though it is difficult to keep calm, anger and aggression can lead to serious problems and can cause you to do things you will regret. Therefore, learning to channel your anger and reducing the possibility of losing control over your emotions and actions is very important.

• Identify and understand your anger. Engage in other relaxing activities to divert your attention from thoughts and activities that trigger anger.

• Learn how to understand your physical sensations. Try to calm your body by practicing relaxation techniques, yoga, or mindfulness, or by listening to soothing music.

• Manage your negative thoughts by replacing them with rational and positive self-talk.

• Develop empathy. This will help you to identify harmful actions you might take on your own.

• Identify and express your anger in a healthy and constructive way. For example, by assertively telling someone how they made you feel or write down your feelings.

• Learn effective coping skills in order to handle unexpected failures and manage conflict.