Rage

(Paperback)

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Description

It's been reported that around seven per cent of adults may suffer from a problem called intermittent explosive disorder (IED) during their lives. This disorder involves episodes of rage so intense that relationships, jobs, property and even lives can be lost in a single outburst. IED sufferers often report that they even lose conscious awareness of their behaviour during these episodes. Obviously anyone who is stricken with diagnosable IED or even subclincial fits of rage needs help, and they need it as soon as possible. Unique in its genre, this much-needed book breaks down rage generally into three types: survival, impotent and abandonment or rejection rage. In the first type, the angry individual's behaviour is triggered by a sense of danger or threat; in the second, by a feeling of helplessness; and the third type is triggered by a fear of losing a cherished relationship. After a brief discussion of the brain and how it functions during moments of extreme emotion, the book turns to the task of putting rage in check. In classic Potter-Efron style, the book places the responsibility for control squarely on the shoulders of the angry individual and readers get a no-nonsense approach to getting rage under control once and for all.

Reviews

Finally a book that specifically deals with the many facets and complexities experienced in rage! Readers will be able to assess their own specific type of rage easily while also learning useful techniques for intervening and stopping such uncontrollable eruptions. This book is an excellent tool for individuals who are trying to gain more control over their emotions and counter the feelings of helplessness that often accompany experiences of rage. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to make significant changes in his or her life.
--Kimberly Flemke, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Graduate Programs of Couples and Family Therapy at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA

This volume provides essential information for people who experience rage and the mental health professionals who work with them. Potter-Efron's comprehensive and detailed descriptions of the nature and determinants of four different kinds of rage will also be of great interest to the general reader. The interpersonal and behavioral factors that trigger these overwhelming experiences of the extreme expression of anger are clarified, with excellent examples of the manifestation of rage. These recommendations for dealing with intense emotional experiences will help the reader to both understand and cope more effectively with rage-related problems.
--Charles D. Spielberger, Ph.D., ABPP, distinguished research professor and director, of the Center for Research in Behavioral Medicine and Health Psychology at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL

Author Bio

Ronald T. Potter-Efron, MSW, PhD, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Eau Claire, WI, who specializes in anger management, mental health counseling, and the treatment of addictions. He is the author of Angry All the Time and Stop the Anger Now and coauthor of The Secret Message of Shame and Anger, Alcoholism, and Addiction.