Let’s talk anger! The anger iceberg is a tool I use to help clients visualize anger. When you’re looking at an iceberg above water it can appear very small and simple- nothing much there; however, if you look below sea level, you realize there is much more beneath the surface. This is very much the same for anger! Human emotions are complex and unfortunately, we still don’t fully understand or completely agree on where they come from or how to classify them. That being said, researchers have come to believe that emotions can be classified as primary emotions or secondary emotions.

Primary Emotions- how we react to events and situations. Usually come on strong and fade Secondary Emotions- reactions to our primary emotions. Lingering emotions or emotions connected to the past. Many clients come through my door expressing significant challenges with anger; anger towards themselves, anger towards others, anger towards the world…anger, anger, anger. It’s hard for them to identify when the anger started and where it originated from.

This is likely because research has shown anger to be a secondary emotion- a reaction to their primary emotion, an emotion they likely pushed down or felt to uncomfortable with. For some, expressing a primary emotion like fear or sadness can be extremely uncomfortable, vulnerable or unknown, and so subconsciously the person shifts their emotion into anger- an emotion that is viewed as socially acceptable. Next time you’re feeling angry, ask yourself if that anger is a more comfortable and less vulnerable response to your initial emotion