Saturday, June 4, 2011

Why should I attend anger management classes?

Q: Why should I attend anger management classes?
A: Anger management classes are the most underutilized resources in the criminal justice system.  If conducted properly, anger management will give you a great deal of insight into why you do what you do.

IT IS NOT ABOUT THE ANGER

                Often times when a person is convicted of some type of family violence, the judge will sentence the person to attend anger management classes, in an effort to help the person learn skills to diffuse or redirect anger, and learn more constructive ways to express anger.  If the person attending the classes is open to the instruction, then he will acquire some tools to diffuse his anger.  If he is really lucky, he will gain some insight into where his anger comes from. 

Anger is often a secondary emotion, which we jump to in order not to feel the pain or vulnerability of the initial emotion.  So, while there may be a great deal of anger in the workplace, at home, at school or on the internet, the anger comes from very different emotional places.  For example, when one person feels afraid, the fear is often quickly replaced by anger.  Fear is associated with being a victim, or being weak, while anger has the power of a victor.   Similarly, hopelessness is associated with being fragile or dependent.  So, the more hopeless a person feels, the more that emotion may demonstrate itself as anger.  Betrayal, shame, jealousy, almost any emotion that has a negative impact on a person’s emotional state can be replaced by anger.  The effect is to feel the anger, rather than the true emotion. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

About Me

I hung a shingle in February 2000, because I saw that individuals charged with criminal offenses were being underserved by the attorneys practicing criminal law. Since February 2000, I have represented more than two thousand criminal clients. I only practice criminal law, but I do everything from violations of probation to Supreme Court appeals. There are few attorneys under the age of sixty that have my level of experience. I have tried more than two hundred major felony jury trials. I have tried more than fifty misdemeanor jury trials. In Philadelphia as a prosecutor, I tried more than two thousand bench trials. I have conducted more than three thousand preliminary hearings and bond hearings. Yet, I still have the energy at forty-five to serve my current clients. There is nothing that will occur in a courtroom that I have not experienced before. When you are looking for an attorney, experience is everything.