Anger Is Triggered by Loss

The universal trigger for anger is loss. It does not matter whether the loss is real or perceived. Your perception alone plays a major role in the way you respond to people and events. If you see someone or something as a threat to you or to something you want to accomplish, you are likely to feel angry. What's interesting is that each of us has our own perception of things -- our own lens through which we view the world. Have you ever reacted to an event, only to be told by another person that you were overreacting? It's because they perceived the event differently than you. Have you ever seen another person blow a slightly irritating incident out of proportion? Again, it's because they perceived the event differently than you.

The next time you seem to have a different reaction to an event from the people around you, stop and think about how you're perceiving the situation. Is your thinking rigid? Is it biased in some way -- based on culture, race, gender, religion, and so on? It may be possible to shift your thinking so that the person or event feels like less of a threat. If you can do that, your response to the situation may be less intense.