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Definition
Novaco (1975) considers anger as an affective stress reaction that occurs after a provocation. In this view, anger as an emotional state is a consequence of an experienced physiological arousal and its cognitive interpretation. Thus, anger as a multidimensional construct is associated with cognitive distortions (e.g., misappraisals and attributions of blame), physiological changes (e.g., hypertension), and behavioral reactions (e.g., facial expressions, verbal/behavioral anger expression strategies; Kassinove and Sukhodolsky 1995). Anger is not only an emotional state, varying across time, situation, and intensity, but also a stable personality trait, reflecting a person’s tendency to experience anger frequently or intensely (Spielberger et al. 1995).
Averill’s (1982) social constructive approach assumes that anger is a holistic reaction to social situations and a complex syndrome. Thus, anger serves a function in social contexts. Anger...
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References
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Steffgen, G. (2022). Anger. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_87-2
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