

Anger Activity One

By Tricia Andor, Licensed Professional Counselor

The following activity is helpful for people who:

Know they want to change the way they handle anger
Are contemplating making a change in the way they handle anger


Are just curious about the anger topic

This activity serves as a cost-benefit analysis of sorts for how you currently handle anger. You will need a piece of paper and something to write with.

In the first column, list all the benefits to how you currently handle anger. Don’t hold back – if one of the benefits is that you get your way more often, list it.

Now, in the second column, list out all the ways your anger-expression style costs you or isn’t good for you or those around you. List the ways it negatively impacts your relationship with others.

Here’s an example.

Like any important decision, a simple pro/con list will help you consider the overall value of the behavior, and determine where you stand in regards to keeping your current style or contemplating changing it. And, like any pro/con list, the worth of the entries in the column is not determined by the the number of entries, but by the weight each entry carries.

Looking at your own list, how much does your anger-expression style benefit you? What does it cost you?