Anger is an emotion that comes naturally to every human being. It is an innate feature that varies in its occurrence, ranging from mild to extreme levels. An interesting feature of anger is that it has both positive and negative potential. The positive part involves psychologically influencing self-improvement while the negative part results in the harm of an individual or others. Anger as a concept can be examined from different perspectives, which are the cognitive, environmental and psychological (Gates, Fitzwater, and Succop 779).
On the other hand, stress is viewed as a contributing factor to the occurrence of anger. Just like anger, stress has two implications that are either positive or negative. The positive side yields some healthy stress, which makes a person productive as opposed to the unhealthy stress that makes a person angry (DeLisi and Conis 31).
Aggression is perceived to be detrimental to oneself as well as to others. Various types of aggression have been documented, but the most common are proactive and reactive. The intentions of the aggressor and the nature of the aggression offer the description of that form of aggression. The basic idea is that aggression is a form of expressing anger and stress (Gunn and Taylor 54)
The interaction of the three concepts can influence people into making inappropriate actions during social interactions. This can be the reason that informs the actions of violent offenders. Violence as a phenomenon takes different forms that vary depending on the causes and the reasons leading to the maintenance of such behavior. Most of the violent offenders point out anger and stress as the reasons for entering into fights, involvement in gang activity and robbery (Ware, Cieplucha, and Matsuo 3)
Relationship between anger, stress and aggression
Studies have shown that there is a considerable correlation between anger, stress and aggression. The nature of this relationship is that the first two concepts can explain a majority of aggressive and violent behavior (DeLisi and Conis 47).
Thus, understanding the relationship between anger, stress and aggression is important to the practitioners involved in the treatment of violent offenders (Townsend 12). An important aspect that arises when analyzing this relationship is impulsivity in individuals. This occurs when a person under stress and full of anger fails to apply the required control to resist the harmful behavior(Gunn and Taylor 63).
The concept of impulsivity develops because of anger and aggression. Impulsivity is a manifestation of the occurrence of anger, stress and aggression in an individual concurrently. When such an incident takes place, a violent reaction occurs, thus explaining the actions or conduct of various violent offenders (Townsend 12).
Implication of this relationship for the treatment of violent offenders
The importance of understanding the concepts of anger, stress and aggression as they relate to violent offenders becomes necessary when designing the required treatment. It becomes crucial for the practitioners to delve into details when examining the causes of violent behavior, and this can help in coming up with more effective treatments (Gates, Fitzwater, and Succop 779).
The consideration depends on how the concurrence of anger, stress and aggression can explain the behavior of the violent offenders. The nature of the manifestation of the three phenomena is also essential for practitioners dealing with violent offenders. While giving an interview about the experience of dealing with violent offenders, James Gillian points out that most of the violent offender treatments can be classified into cognitive and interpersonal treatments (Carlson and Korman 62).
Such treatments are given out as programs whereby cognitive programs focus on the antisocial cognitive aspects of an offender. They try to introduce new ways of thought that repel violent behavior. Anger management programs focus on conceptualizing and severing the connection between anger and violent behavior.
The Intimate partner violence programs are carried out for offenders who have assaulted their partners. On the other hand, the multi-modal programs tend to be individually oriented whereby the focus is on understanding a single offender’s situation (Ware, Cieplucha, and Matsuo 7).
Works Cited
Carlson, Jon, and Lorne Korman. Working with Anger. Washington: American Psychological Association, 2009. Print.
DeLisi, Matt, and Peter J. Conis. Violent Offenders: Theory, Research, Policy, and Practice. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2012. Print.
Gates, Donna, Evelyn Fitzwater, and Paul Succop. “Relationships of stressors, strain, and anger to caregiver assaults.” Issues in Mental Health Nursing 24.8 (2003): 775-793. Print.
Gunn, John C, and Pamela J. Taylor. Forensic Psychiatry: Clinical, Legal and Ethical Issues. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, 2014. Print.
Townsend, Mary C. Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: Concepts of Care in Evidence-Based Practice. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Davis Company, 2015. Print.
Ware, Jayson, Cherice Cieplucha, and Danielle Matsuo. “The violent offenders therapeutic programme (VOTP)-Rationale and effectiveness 6 (2011): 1-12.” Australasian Journal of Correctional Staff Development 6.2 (2011): 1-12. Print.