Anger: Why Do Some People Feel Guilty For Being Angry?

There are going to be people who feel comfortable expressing every emotion on the spectrum and then there are going to be others who are not in the same position. When someone does feel comfortable with their emotions, they are not going to deny how they feel.

This will allow them to not only be honest with themselves; they can also be honest with others. And during those moments when it is best for them to keep their feelings to themselves, they can still acknowledge how they feel.

Emotionally Aware

When someone is in touch with how they feel, it doesn’t mean they will always let other people know. This is because it is not always going to be appropriate for them to do this, and this is why they will need to think as well as feel.

Their ability to contain their emotional experience will allow them to embrace how they feel. It is then not necessary for them to suppress or to vent, and this will give them the chance to own their emotional experience.

The Other Side

Alternatively, when someone doesn’t feel comfortable expressing certain emotions, they are going to end up denying how they feel. On one side, they won’t be able to express how they feel to others, and on the other, they might end up being out of touch with how they feel.

Their focus is then not going to be on their own needs, it is going to be on doing everything they can to please others. Maintaining a certain image will be what matters, and even though this is their priority, it doesn’t mean they are completely aware of what they are doing.

The Build Up

If they felt comfortable with their own feelings, they would think about other people’s feelings; but this is not going to be something that defines their life. It will be balanced out by their own needs, and this will stop them from having to lose themselves in the process.

Through constantly putting other people’s needs before their own, it is likely to mean that their feelings will build-up within them. This can then cause them to feel weighed down and unable to do what they need to do in life.

Out of Control

And if they do express how they feel, it might not be possible for them to experience self-control, and this is because their reactions can end up being way out of proportion. If this happens, it might be hard for the people around them to work out why they are behaving as they are.

On one side, they may say that they are acting out of character, and on the other, they may say that they are over reacting. However, if they were to take a closer look, they might see that how they usually present themselves is not who they really are.

Acceptable Emotions

There are certain emotions that are seen as acceptable and then there are others that are not seen in the same way. For example, it is often seen as acceptable for men to be angry and for women to be sad.

And along with this, people can feel the need to be happy and to cover up their true feelings. It is then not acceptable for them to be sad and they will always need to have a smile plastered over their face.

Anger

However, both men and women can find it hard to express their anger, and this can set them up to experience all kinds of problems. They may end up disconnecting from this emotion, and if they were to express it, they may end up feeling guilty.

Although anger is an emotion that is often seen a negative, it is neither negative nor positive. When someone gets angry, there is a strong chance that they have been violated or compromised.

Feedback

If it wasn’t for their anger, they wouldn’t know that something was wrong, and this is why people who disconnect from their anger often end up being walked over, for instance. The feedback they need in order to realise what is taking place is not available.

The trouble with emotions is that they don’t always reflect reality, and so if someone feels guilty for being angry, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they have done something wrong. It might just come down to the fact that they have been conditioned to believe that anger is bad.

Emotional Containment

When someone gets angry, it doesn’t mean they have to lose all self-control and to cause harm; they can contain how they feel. This means that they are in touch with how they feel and at the same time, they can still think clearly.

A Deeper Look

If someone ends up feeling guilty whenever they get angry, they may have become accustomed to feeling this way, and they can then come to the conclusion that there is nothing they can do. Yet, no matter how long they have been this way, there is a reason why they are experiencing life in this way.

The reason they are like this is likely to be the result of what took place during their early years. When they expressed their anger, there is a strong chance that they were punished in some way as opposed to being encouraged to express themselves.

Normal

Disconnecting from their anger was then not something they chose to do; it was something they had to do in order to survive. And because of how the people around them responded to their anger, it would have been normal for them to form a negative relationship with this emotion.

Awareness

As they were not allowed to be angry, this would have meant that their need to be heard wasn’t met, and this would have caused them to feel rejected. For them to feel comfortable with their anger they will need to realise that there is nothing wrong with this emotion and they may need to mourn their unmet childhood needs.

This is something that can take place with the assistance of a therapist and/or a support group.