If you're in a serious relationship with another person, then it's inevitable that you will get angry at one another. If there were no differences between the two of you, then you'd have absolutely nothing to talk about could be different or enticing. When a couple disagrees, it can be a healthy part of the relationship.
As long as both people realize the other person has feelings and shouldn’t be made to feel bad for having those feelings. Both parties in a relationship should be able to feel free in expressing themselves, especially when angry. It's often thought that couples using anger management are falling apart.
In reality, couples grow closer through anger management classes. The hardest part of knowing if classes will help is recognizing when classes are actually needed. Here are some classic signs that anger management for couples is needed:
The Signs
The most common problems couples face when dealing with anger is passive aggression. When couples start taking out their anger on each other in indirect ways, it’s an obvious sign that something must be done. Acts like the silent treatment, ignoring, slamming doors, plates, or acting out instead of confronting the root of the problem are prime examples.
Fear is another big sign. If either person in the relationship feels afraid to speak up, express their own anger, or come forward with their emotions, couples anger management may do wonders. It’s that fear and anger that results in passive aggression and, in extreme cases, domestic abuse. Both parties should feel safe about getting angry. if this can't happen, couples anger management classes may be the best option.
In some cases, a definite sign is arguing about things that both people in the relationship agree about. If a couple like a movie, for instance, but each person likes it for a different reason and they argue about who's right, then online anger management classes for couples may be a great option.
Why it Happens
There are doctors that have suggested that when two people, especially a couple, get angry at one another the fight or flight instinct tends to kick in. This is the part of the brain that is activated when we get scared or angered during intense situations. The chemical breakdown of what happens is still being studied, but the physical reactions are obvious: increased heartbeat, faster breathing, and a loss of rational thought processes.
If couples could take the opportunity to learn about their own tempers, managing anger would be much less complicated. They would be able to help their loved one's when they’re getting angry as well.
What Couples Anger Management Classes Teach
People who take a 12 hour anger management class, will begin to understand their own anger triggers, as well as their partners. They'll also begin to understand how their partners, and themselves, will react to their triggers and how to avoid those triggers. Most importantly, the classes will help couples deal with their anger once their triggers have actually been tripped. These factors, including many more, are why couples grow closer through anger management courses.
Ari Novick, Ph.D. is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified anger management provider for both adults and adolescents. Dr. Novick is also an adjunct professor of psychology at Pepperdine University's Graduate School of Education and Psychology.
He is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a certified anger management provider for both adults and adolescents.
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Dr. Ari Novick is a psychotherapist who provides world class Anger Management Classes Online.