A Valid Questions: Does Anger Management Help?

There are many different self help books and articles found in print and on the internet that are geared to help people with anger management issues. These books and articles are full of anger management activities which are supposed to help individuals get control of their anger before they do or say something rash that will only further serve to escalate the problem. There are some resources that are not beneficial to individuals, being promoted by people who are not qualified to offer this type of information, which provokes the question by some whether anger management really helps.

Answers

One answer to the question "Does anger management help?" is both yes and no. Anger management programs can only be successful to the extent that the individual is willing to put in the effort to use the skills that he has learned. If the individual is not willing to lay aside all of his old habits and learn to use new ones, then any anger management program is doomed to failure for that person. As much as family and friend might want to help a loved one with anger management problems, the solution has to come from within that person, meaning that person has to make a decision to change the old habits and replace them with new, healthier skills.

Another answer to whether anger management does help is yes. There are many different professional psychological organizations that have worked with individuals through the years and developed different skills and tips that can help individuals overcome their anger management issues. The American Psychological Association is one of these organizations which give many different tips on their website to help individuals to overcome their problem with anger. In order to answer the question of whether anger management does help, they have done many different case studies of individuals with varying degrees of anger management problems and have worked with them using some of the strategies promoted on their site and have documented the results for those who care to see them.

Most of the strategies that are given on these organizations websites and books have to do with relaxation techniques, breathing strategies, time outs, deconstructing the situation before reacting, and changing cognitive thinking patterns. If individuals are willing to try these different strategies, often having someone to be accountable to when they are working on them, then anger management does really help and a person's life can be changed forever.