Intense emotion like anger involves a great deal of bodily changes that occur as a result of activation of the sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. At one time or another every one feels angry. J. B. Wats mentioned that when goal-directed behaviour of a child is obstructed and interfered with, anger is manifested. Thus, anger is the outcome of restriction imposed against desires.
In other words, frustrating situation on the way for a goal results in anger. The need for catharsis and role of learning also play significant role in anger. Catharsis refers to the release of anxiety and tension, pent-up feelings and dissatisfaction and emotions resulting from daily life struggle verbally and through actions. These are directed towards any one anything that causes anger in the adult person.
Children learn to show attack and aggressive behaviours by observing cartoons, movies, and T. V. serial and aggressive models, Observation of live scenes of anger and aggressive behaviour produces more imitation of specific anger action, in one of the experiments by Bandura (1973), nursery school children observed a movie when adults were showing varieties of aggressive behaviour toward an inflated doll.
After observing the film both boys and girls demonstrated the same of aggressive behaviour toward the inflated doll. These aggressive responses include punching, throwing, striking with a hammer, kicking and pounding number of blows to the doll. Freud inferred from his observational studies of numerous patients and children that aggression is an inborn instinct. Lorenz too believed that anger aggressions are innate instincts with animals and human beings.
This basic anger behaviour should have some outlets, such as competitive sports, hard labor such as gardening, walking, recognizing the stimulus that provokes anger aggression, a persuasive leader, and not rewarding any aggressive behaviour etc. Studies indicated in the past that rage- an extreme form of anger, relatively uncontrollable - can be at times real and at times partial which are termed as “sham rage". Sham rage was demonstrated in cats, dogs, primates and other animals by stimulating particular areas of brain, especially the hypothalamus.
