3: Anger

Anger, particularly when its origin seems absurd, is a common reaction to being reminded of something that has been repressed. Consider the periodic outrage over nudity in works of art, and this should be obvious.

There is reference to anger in Plato's works, particularly in the consideration that anger can be a pleasurable emotion (Philebus), though he later declares anger to be an emotion based on irrationality (Timaeus).

Aristotle considered anger in greater detail. In his consideration, even a good person can become angry, and a moral man experiences a righteous anger in the face of moral outrage (Nicomachian Ethics). He alter considers anger to be a reactive emotion - it is an immediate impulse in reaction to a conspicuous cause that inflames a sense of outrage (Rhetoric).

The author agrees that anger can be positive, and serve a number of useful and even vital functions if it is correctly invoked and judiciously expressed. It is not only a survival instinct (to react to a threat) but also a vital part of the social contract: promises are often kept for fear of provoking the anger when others are short-changed or cheated.

But there is a separate type of anger that is inappropriate, unjustified, irrational, and uncontrolled. The function of this anger is merely to protect the ego, and is attended by very little pleasure if any at all.

Unjustified anger is often attributable to a cause, though it is one that is unknown because it is denied or repressed. A victim of provoked anger may acknowledge that the reaction was entirely justified, but a victim of unjustified anger is slighted, and seeks his own justified revenge. In this way, an unjustified anger is harmful to both individuals and society.

He also notes that unjustified anger often seeks to justify itself in some manner. A man may physically abuse his wife, citing that she failed to do the dishes - but he is really angry because she seemed to be attracted to another man, days or weeks before discovering the unwashed dishes. He does not wish to acknowledge the real issue, which is his own impotence.