SECTION A: READING COMPREHENSION
[30)
Read the following passage and answer all the questions that follow
Control anger before it controls you
1. Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and
rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of
anger. Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when
you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, as do the levels of your energy
hormones, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Anger can be caused by both external and internal
events. You could be angry at a specific person (such as a coworker or supervisor) or event (a
traffic jam, a canceled flight), or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about
your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry
feelings.
2. The instinctive, natural way to express anger is to respond aggressively. Anger is a natural,
adaptive response to threats; it inspires powerful, often aggressive, feelings and behaviors,
which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we are attacked. A certain amount of
anger, therefore, is necessary to our survival. On the other hand, we can not physically lash
out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us; laws, social norms, and common
sense place limits on how far our anger can take us.
3. People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry
feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. Expressing
your angry feelings in an assertive-not aggressive-manner is the healthiest way to express
anger. To do this, you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are, and how to get
them met, without hurting others. Being assertive does not mean being pushy or demanding;
it means being respectful of yourself and others.
4. Anger can be suppressed, and then converted or redirected. This happens when you hold in
your anger, stop thinking about it, and focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or
suppress your anger and convert it into more constructive behavior. The danger in this type
of response is that if it is not allowed outward expression, your anger can turn inward-on
yourself. Anger turned inward may cause hypertension, high blood pressure, or depression.
5. Unexpressed anger can create other problems. It can lead to pathological expressions of
anger, such as passive-aggressive behavior (getting back at people indirectly, without telling
them why, rather than confronting them head-on) or a personality that seems perpetually
cynical and hostile. People who are constantly putting others down, criticizing everything, and
making cynical comments haven't learned how to constructively express their anger. Not
surprisingly, they are not likely to have many successful relationships.
6. Finally, you can calm down inside. This means not just controlling your outward behavior, but
also controlling your internal responses, taking steps to lower your heart rate, calm yourself
down, and let the feelings subside.As Dr. Spielberger notes, "when none of these three
techniques work, that is when someone-or something-is going to get hurt."
7. The goal of anger management is to reduce both your emotional feelings and the physiological
arousal that anger causes. You can not get rid of, or avoid, the things or the people that enrage
you, nor can you change them, but you can learn to control your reactions.
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