Generational Anger:
How Can Anger Affect a Family?

We can all expect to get angry at one point or another in our lives. Anger is a natural human emotion. You may find yourself losing your temper with family, friends, colleagues, the list goes on. While anger can be an expected feeling, it may be more if you find yourself reacting frequently with increasing intensity. You may have heard the phrase, “what causes problems is a problem”. If your anger is causing you problems, it very well may be a problem.

Can Anger Be Genetic?

Anger can be genetic in the sense that anger and irritability can be symptoms of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder etc. Many of these diagnoses have a biological component. In 2010, scientists discovered the gene HTR2B, which may be responsible for impulsive and violent behavior in human beings when they are under the influence of alcohol. While more research is necessary, this could point to additional genetic causes for increased anger.

Nature versus Nurture

A disorder is said to run in a family if there is more than one member affected by a certain condition. While there are biological factors involved, there are also factors related to nurture aka what you grow up seeing. How your family manages anger can have a lot to do with how you manage anger yourself. Now this doesn’t mean if your mother, for example, yells when she is angry you will too. You may, but you are just as likely to retreat or feel uncomfortable with yelling. You may also not do either of those things when you are angry. What we do know is that a lot of behavior can be learned. How you react to emotions is no different.

Some families have multiple members with a particular disorder due to genetics, which can be handed down from generation to generation. If you often tend to get angry, you may remember your parents, grandparents, and other extended family members having the same highly charged emotions as you.

This highlights the importance of knowing your family’s complete medical history, spanning three generations of relatives. The common factors in families, such as genes, environment, and lifestyle, can provide clues to medical conditions affecting your family. Disorders that impact emotion regulation can be overwhelming, therapy can help.

Can Anger Pose Health Risks?

Losing your cool occasionally does not automatically mean you have difficulty regulating emotions such as anger or depression, anxiety etc. Anger can be a strong emotion, which when left unaddressed, can put your overall health in jeopardy. Excessive anger can lead to heart palpitation or tightening of the chest, high blood pressure, headache, fatigue, and pressure in your sinus cavities. If symptoms are left unaddressed, they can even lead to heart disease.

Difficulty regulating emotions can also lead to anxiety, depression, frustration, irritability, paranoia, rage, sleep problems, and social isolation. Long-term anxiety can affect your physical and emotional health, posing greater health risks, such as serious memory loss and stroke.

Create New Ways of Addressing Anger in Your Family

It is often from those closest to us that we learn how to express feelings, such as happiness, sadness, fear, and anger. How we respond to anger can be learned through observation, modeling, and socializing. It is easy for children to react with the same angry outbursts they see from parents and believe the entire world has the same way of expressing anger.

While there are no perfect parents, and no perfect ways of parenting, it is always up to you to decide what behavior to adopt as you grow up. You don’t have to continue the same pattern of behavior if you don’t want to. You can change. Counseling can help.

When to Seek Help

Anger is not something you can get rid of; it is a basic human emotion. In fact, it is perfectly natural to feel angry at times when you have been mistreated or wronged. It is sometimes a healthy emotion that can help in resolving many family difficulties or conflicts. Heated arguments can have positive conclusions. We can grow and improve relationships through conflict, though only when that conflict is healthy. When anger becomes overpowering it can become destructive, breaking down even the most close-knit relationships.

Some degree of anger may be with you throughout your life. Though anger will never go away, the problems that it creates for you can be mitigated. A question to ask is whether your anger is working for you or against you.

Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, NC has a range of independently contracted professionals with expertise in treating family and relational concerns. They are skills in emotion regulation and can help you address how anger may be impacting you. Call today to request an appointment.

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