Abstract
Anger is known to be a negatively valenced emotion that can trigger different forms of harmful actions. Traditionally, it is studied from a third-person point of view using behavioural tasks or trait questionnaires. These methods can grasp outwardly observable behavioural expressions of anger but cannot tap into its experiential dimension. Hence, first-person approaches can be useful to get a more complete picture. In the current study we investigated the experiential facet of anger episodes using a first-person introspective approach. Findings from our introspective trial showed 1) that the anger experience can be subdivided into a cognitive, affective, somatic, and volitional component, 2) that anger unfolds in a temporal manner with distinct characteristical stages and 3) that anger can be inhibited through cognitive control strategies. While conducting our introspective research, we observed several methodological challenges of this particular method. An overview of how to deal with these issues is provided, thus contributing to anger research in both a theoretical and a methodological way.
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Appendix
Appendix
Appendix 1
The following questions were used to guide the different rounds of observations. New guiding questions were formulated after each round of observation based on the observations of the previous round. All researchers investigated all questions during the respective round of observations.
Questions for round 1)
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1.
How do I experience anger and its precursors?
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2.
How does anger affect me?
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3.
When does anger appear?
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4.
How do I know that I am in a state of anger?
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5.
How do I know that the state of anger has passed?
Questions for round 2)
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1.
How do I experience anger?
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2.
What are precursors and phases of anger?
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3.
Is it necessary to direct anger towards a target or can anger also be undirected?
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4.
Does anger only appear in social situations?
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5.
Is anger accompanied by helplessness?
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6.
What happens during the experience of anger when I have possibility to act constructively and what happens if there is no possibility to act constructively?
Questions for round 3)
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1.
How does anger unfold?
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2.
Can the energy, that builds up through anger be used constructively for other domains?
Questions for round 4)
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1.
How and at which phase is the inhibition of anger possible?
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2.
How is it possible to regain cognitive control during a state of anger?
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3.
To which point can the energy be redirected to cope constructively with anger and what are conditions where inhibition is no longer possible?
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4.
To what extent is the state of anger characterized by ambivalence and micro-moments of mental clarity?
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5.
It is possible to constructively redirect the energy arising through anger, but it is not as satisfying as yelling and swearing. Is this due to the fact that the latter options of release are directed towards a concrete target?
Appendix 2
The following examples of raw observations illustrate the style of the diary entries that were kept by the co-researchers during the introspective trial. All are quotations from the German original.
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“A woman jumped the queue without realizing that I was standing in front of her. For a brief moment I felt disappointed and warmth moving from the bottom of my stomach reaching up to my chest. I also felt the urge to say something.”
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“Anger arrives as an unwelcome visitor.”
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“The moment I begin to make anger an object of enquiry it begins to dissipate.”
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“While being angry I don’t manage to leave the respective thoughts behind, it is as though sitting in a hole; wishing I could blame others.”
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“It is an inconvenient experience; why do I rest in it?”
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“...beholding the anger is a relieve and is calming. But it is a hot tightrope walk – a single inattentive moment and I tip over…”
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“...anger, paired with fear that I experience costs…or other disadvantages...”
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“I noticed instances where anger was about to arise (e.g. missing a bus), but I had the capacity to stay calm by means of cognitive reflection, observation of the body and controlling my breathing.”
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Hackert, B., Lumma, AL., Menzel, P. et al. Enquiring into the qualitative nature of anger: Challenges and strengths of the introspective method. Curr Psychol 40, 3174–3189 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00221-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00221-0