Physical Effects
↦ aggression
↦ arguing
↦ blaming
↦ brooding
↦ clenching fists
↦ clenching jaw
↦ controlled tone
↦ criticizing
↦ complaining
↦ crossing arms
↦ crying
↦ demanding
↦ face flushing
↦ frowning
↦ grinning
↦ hot flashes
↦ inability to listen / comprehend
↦ inappropriate reactions
↦ insulting
↦ impetuosity
↦ increased pulse
↦ irrationality
↦ irritability
↦ losing control (thoughts and actions)
↦ physical reactions, often violent
↦ pupils dilate
↦ rigid
↦ risk taking
↦ sarcasm
↦ slow, unsteady breaths
↦ speaking unusually slow or fast
↦ staring
↦ stomping
↦ sweating
↦ teeth grinding
↦ tense
↦ threatening (verbally or through gestures)
↦ tight-lipped smile
↦ tight muscles
↦ tunneled vision
↦ twitching
↦ withdrawing
↦ yelling
✺
Prompting Anger
⇨ Know What Triggers Your Character
⤠ anger is a secondary emotion, meaning it will be caused by a primary emotion (embarrassment, distress, etc.)
⤠ commonly, anger is caused by the underlying fear of being harmed (physically or emotionally)
⤠ think of your character’s fears and triggers
⤠ the reason behind the anger will affect the type of anger and the reaction
✺
Types of Anger
⇨ Dry vs Wet
⤠ Dry: sharp, stern, threatening, rage, seeing red, being done & vengeful
⤠ Wet: emotional, crying, trembling, screaming, being hurt & embarrassed for caring so much
⇨ Types Described by Therapists
⤠ Assertive Anger: a constructive form of anger in which someone expresses their emotion in a healthy, safe way
⤠ Behavioral Anger: impulsive physical reaction often expressed through violence
⤠ Chronic Anger: continuous, low-level feeling of anger/resentment/frustration often impacting health, relationships, and self-esteem
⤠ Destructive Anger: unhealthy response to anger commonly expressed through verbal/physical actions to hurt others
⤠ Judgmental Anger: response to a perceived injustice which can be expressed through criticizing others and can cause feelings of loneliness or low self-esteem
⤠ Overwhelmed Anger: sudden response due to stress reaching a boiling point
⤠ Passive-Aggressive Anger: avoidant response that includes emotional suppression, often expressed as sarcasm or pettiness
⤠ Retaliatory Anger: reaction to a direct attack, verbal or physical, in which anger is usually directed back at attacker
⤠ Self-Abusive Anger: anger directed inward, often caused by shame and low self-esteem
⤠ Silent Anger: non-verbal reaction to anger in which someone closes themselves off and does not communicate
⤠ Verbal Anger: aggressive anger in which one lashes out at another through verbal attacks; often feels guilt afterwards
⤠ Volatile Anger: explosive and destructive response that makes it hard for person to communicate or express themselves
✺
Writing Anger
➵ describe body language
➵ describe facial expressions
➵ describe physical side effects
➵ show character’s behavior
➵ show character’s inner dialogue
➵ show other characters’ reactions
➵ use short sentences and sharp words to build tension
➵ avoid using the word ‘anger’ or any synonyms; using the word is an obvious sign that you are telling the emotion instead of showing it