Zillmann\u2019s studies seem to explain the dynamic at work in a familiar
\ndomestic drama I witnessed one day while shopping. Down the
\nsupermarket aisle drifted the emphatic, measured tones of a young
\nmother to her son, about three: \u201cPut \u2026 it \u2026 back!\u201d
\n\u201cBut I want it!\u201d he whined, clinging more tightly to a Ninja Turtles
\ncereal box.
\n\u201cPut it back!\u201d Louder, her anger taking over.
\nAt that moment the baby in her shopping cart seat dropped the jar
\nof jelly she had been mouthing. When it shattered on the floor the
\nmother yelled, \u201cThat\u2019s it!\u201d and, in a fury, slapped the baby, grabbed
\nthe three-year-old\u2019s box and slammed it onto the nearest shelf,
\nscooped him up by the waist, and rushed down the aisle, the shopping
\ncart careening perilously in front, the baby now crying, her son, his
\nlegs dangling, protesting, \u201cPut me down, put me down!\u201d
\nZillmann has found that when the body is already in a state of
\nedginess, like the mother\u2019s, and something triggers an emotional
\nhijacking, the subsequent emotion, whether anger or anxiety, is of
\nespecially great intensity. This dynamic is at work when someone
\nbecomes enraged. Zillmann sees escalating anger as \u201ca sequence of
\nprovocations, each triggering an excitatory reaction that dissipates
\nslowly.\u201d In this sequence every successive anger-provoking thought or
\nperception becomes a minitrigger for amygdala-driven surges of
\ncatecholamines, each building on the hormonal momentum of those
\nthat went before. A second comes before the first has subsided, and a
\nthird on top of those, and so on; each wave rides the tails of those
\nbefore, quickly escalating the body\u2019s level of physiological arousal. A
\nthought that comes later in this buildup triggers a far greater intensity
\nof anger than one that comes at the beginning. Anger builds on anger;
\nthe emotional brain heats up. By then rage, unhampered by reason,
\neasily erupts in violence.
\nAt this point people are unforgiving and beyond being reasoned
\nwith; their thoughts revolve around revenge and reprisal, oblivious to
\nwhat the consequences may be. This high level of excitation, Zillmann
\nsays, \u201cfosters an illusion of power and invulnerability that may inspire
\nand facilitate aggression\u201d as the enraged person, \u201cfailing cognitive
\nguidance,\u201d falls back on the most primitive of responses. The limbic
\nurge is ascendant; the rawest lessons of life\u2019s brutality become guides
\nto action.<\/p>\n
Balm for Anger<\/strong><\/em> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Emotional Intelligence<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n DANIEL GOLEMAN<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Zillmann\u2019s studies seem to explain the dynamic at work in a familiar domestic drama I witnessed one day while shopping. Down the supermarket aisle drifted the emphatic, measured tones of a young mother to her son, about three: \u201cPut \u2026 it \u2026 back!\u201d \u201cBut I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1","rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg",900,609,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg",900,609,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=300%2C203&ssl=1",300,203,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio-square":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=570%2C570&ssl=1",570,570,true],"portfolio-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=600%2C609&ssl=1",600,609,true],"portfolio-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=800%2C600&ssl=1",800,600,true],"menu-featured-post":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=345%2C198&ssl=1",345,198,true],"qode-carousel_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=400%2C260&ssl=1",400,260,true],"portfolio_slider":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=500%2C380&ssl=1",500,380,true],"portfolio_masonry_regular":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=500%2C500&ssl=1",500,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_wide":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=900%2C500&ssl=1",900,500,true],"portfolio_masonry_tall":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=500%2C609&ssl=1",500,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=900%2C609&ssl=1",900,609,true],"portfolio_masonry_with_space":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=700%2C474&ssl=1",700,474,true],"latest_post_boxes":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=539%2C303&ssl=1",539,303,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?fit=600%2C406&ssl=1",600,406,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/post-2716.jpg?resize=100%2C100&ssl=1",100,100,true]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Philosophy<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Zillmann\u2019s studies seem to explain the dynamic at work in a familiar domestic drama I witnessed one day while shopping. Down the supermarket aisle drifted the emphatic, measured tones of a young mother to her son, about three: \u201cPut \u2026 it \u2026 back!\u201d \u201cBut I...","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41782"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41782"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41783,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41782\/revisions\/41783"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lecturesbureau.gr\/1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGiven this analysis of the anatomy of rage, Zillmann sees two main
\nways of intervening. One way of defusing anger is to seize on and
\nchallenge the thoughts that trigger the surges of anger, since it is the
\noriginal appraisal of an interaction that confirms and encourages the
\nfirst burst of anger, and the subsequent reappraisals that fan the
\nflames. Timing matters; the earlier in the anger cycle the more
\neffective. Indeed, anger can be completely short-circuited if the
\nmitigating information comes before the anger is acted on.
\nThe power of understanding to deflate anger is clear from another
\nof Zillmann\u2019s experiments, in which a rude assistant (a confederate)
\ninsulted and provoked volunteers who were riding an exercise bike.
\nWhen the volunteers were given the chance to retaliate against the
\nrude experimenter (again, by giving a bad evaluation they thought
\nwould be used in weighing his candidacy for a job) they did so with
\nan angry glee. But in one version of the experiment another
\nconfederate entered after the volunteers had been provoked, and just
\nbefore the chance to retaliate; she told the provocative experimenter
\nhe had a phone call down the hall. As he left he made a snide remark
\nto her too. But she took it in good spirits, explaining after he left that
\nhe was under terrible pressures, upset about his upcoming graduate
\norals. After that the irate volunteers, when offered the chance to
\nretaliate against the rude fellow, chose not to; instead they expressed
\ncompassion for his plight.
\nSuch mitigating information allows a reappraisal of the angerprovoking events.
\nBut there is a specific window of opportunity for
\nthis de-escalation. Zillmann finds it works well at moderate levels of
\nanger; at high levels of rage it makes no difference because of what he
\ncalls \u201ccognitive incapacitation\u201d\u2014in other words, people can no longer
\nthink straight. When people were already highly enraged, they
\ndismissed the mitigating information with \u201cThat\u2019s just too bad!\u201d or
\n\u201cthe strongest vulgarities the English language has to offer,\u201d as
\nZillmann put it with delicacy.<\/p>\n