Anger Management in the Classroom

Dr Moya O’Brien
Clinical Psychologist
The Institute of Child Education and Psychology Europe
Maynooth, Co. Kildare

Published by the National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) as an article for the
School Guidance Handbook
Table of contents
Summary ....................................................................................................................................3
Keywords ...................................................................................................................................4
Introduction ................................................................................................................................5
Learning to control anger ...........................................................................................................6
What motivates students to act out in an angry or aggressive manner?.....................................6
Assessing anger..........................................................................................................................8
Interventions ..............................................................................................................................8
Cognitive Behavioural Approach...............................................................................................9
Reducing the Physiological Response .......................................................................................9
Teaching skills Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution ......................................................10
Conflict Resolution ..................................................................................................................11
Relaxation Training..................................................................................................................12
Using Mindfulness ...................................................................................................................13
Discussion and conclusion .......................................................................................................13
Further Information..................................................................................................................15
Biography ................................................................................................................................16
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................17
References ................................................................................................................................18

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Summary
This article seeks to explore the reasons and motivations behind inappropriate expressions of
anger, and how these can be successfully addressed. The article begins by looking at anger as
a developmental and skills deficit perspective and recognises that not all anger is the same,
but there are different forms and motivations behind anger. Each type of anger needs to be
addressed differently, and the article explores a number of approaches that include cognitive
behavioural techniques, conflict resolution strategies, and mindfulness and relaxation
training. It may be concluded that each of these approaches is effective, but that their efficacy
depends on context, type, and function of the anger, and it is vital to include the student in
this process if any strategy is to be successful.

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Keywords
Anger Management; Mindfulness; Anger; Relaxation; Cognitive Behaviourism.

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Introduction
One of the greatest challenges facing educators today is how to cope with students who
appear not to be able to control their anger impulses. Although small in number, this group of
students can be very disruptive to everyone in school, both staff and students alike. One of
the roles of the Guidance Counsellor is to help students understand and explore their feelings.
When a student has anger management difficulties a referral is usually made to the Guidance
Counsellor. It is then up to the Guidance Counsellor to develop a trusting relationship and
create a psychologically safe place to explore and manage these feelings.

This article looks not only at the causes and motivations behind inappropriate expressions of
anger in the classroom, but also offers practical solutions to tackling this unwanted behaviour,
using the latest research. These techniques are aimed at controlling the students’ behaviour in
the classroom, but also engage the students themselves, empowering them to control their
own anger.

This article begins by looking at anger from a developmental perspective, and how control of
anger usually improves as the young person matures, but there are exceptions due to deficits
in coping or social skills. It then outlines some of the underlying motivations for the
inappropriate expression of anger, and shows that there are different forms of anger, including
reactive and instrumental anger. Both have different causes and serve different functions, and
as such need to be addressed in a different fashion. The article will examine some techniques
for assessing aggressive behaviour, before moving on to discuss successful interventions,
including a cognitive behavioural approach, conflict resolution, and relaxation training, to
deal with the physical response often associated with angry behaviour.

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Learning to control anger
Learning to control anger is a developmental skill. The frontal cortex, that part of the brain
which controls the ability to inhibit impulses, can take twenty three years to develop fully.
From a developmental perspective younger children display little ability to control their anger
and aggression. The typical two year old will express their anger freely and openly – “I want
it and I want it now, and if I can’t have it I will fight for it”. Gradually, by the time they reach
school age most children can control their impulses. By the end of primary school children
can delay their angry impulses, for example, waiting until after school to pick a fight outside
the school gate.

As we move into adolescence we need to remember the pressures and the behavioural
imperatives of this transitional stage. At post-primary level adolescents tend to channel their
anger into games or competition, where they either diffuse this energy playing sport, or by
watching others compete. Peer pressure, the need to conform, and the search for identity, may
result in risk-taking and challenging behaviours, and any fighting in this age group is usually
gang related. However, there are exceptions where you will see a twelve year old behaving
like the two year old – acting out and having a temper tantrum. This is someone who is
unable to control this impulse, what is referred to as a reactive anger. Another type of anger is
instrumental anger. This anger is much more deliberate, goal centred, and the person appears
to be in control.

Young people who display instrumental anger are goal orientated, and their anger helps them
obtain that goal (Dodge, 1991). Reactive anger is more immediate – it is a reaction to an
anger provoking threat where the young person feels afraid or threatened. These young
people have difficulty in problem solving, are easily physically aroused into conflict, and
generally more hyperactive and impulsive (Asarnow & Cullen, 1985). The management of
anger can be a problem both when the young person acts out, but also when they become so
angry that they withdraw. Depression is often anger which has been internalised. These
young people experience feelings of inferiority, self-consciousness, shyness, hypersensitivity,
reclusiveness, timidity, and can present with passive aggressive behaviour. They can also lack
social skills which lead to alienation anxiety and withdrawal (Findler & Engel, 2011).

Anger can be experienced as a positive emotion, and it can make us become more assertive
and stand up for ourselves. It can also help us express tension, and it can energise us and help
us feel in control (Novaco, 1975). It can have negative effects when it leads to aggression,
when it is too intense, when it disrupts relationships, or when it dictates the way we feel all
the time. The difficulty with an anger intervention is that the goal is not to get rid of anger but
to make sure that the response is appropriate.

What motivates students to act out in an angry or aggressive manner?

It is often the way in which anger is expressed, rather than the anger itself that becomes a
problem for many students. There are many different influences on young people that can
shape how anger is expressed – for example, it can be learned in the family home; it can be
observed in the local environment, school or community; and media, including social media,

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can also model or reinforce anger. Weak family and social ties can also lead to inappropriate
expressions of anger, as can observation of aggressive acts where others are rewarded for
anger. Deficits in moral reasoning, problem solving, or in proactive skills can lead to angry or
aggressive behaviour.

Recent research on connectedness in schools indicates that this can be a protective factor,
reducing anger and increasing behaviour control in school aged children (Rice, Kang, Weaver
& Howell, 2008). Connectedness refers to a student's perception regarding the nature of the
key relationships in their daily lives (e.g., - parent, peer, teacher/school, and community).
Building relationships and connections in schools can help to reduce anger and aggression in
school aged children. Helping students and families to build up these social networks helps
students by increasing support in times of difficulty.

Table 1:Motivations for the expression of anger as aggression.

Reactive Anger Instrumental Anger

Fear – they will lose something or be denied Intimidation – bully another into giving in
something
Frustration – not able to communicate wants Manipulation – using anger as a way to
or needs emotionally control other people

A student’s body language may be useful in identifying why he/she is acting in an angry or
aggressive manner. He/she may look fearful, frustrated or threatening. The students who have
never developed the skills to control their impulses, and are emotionally stuck in the terrible
twos, usually act aggressively out of fear or frustration (reactive anger). With these students,
teaching a programme (Faupel et al, 1998) to help them learn to control his/her temper, and
redirecting them to a safe area in the build-up to the temper is a successful option. These
young people can have a predictable pattern when expressing anger, and teachers can learn to
recognise the early warning signs. Simply pointing these signs out to the student in a friendly
way can help. This all depends on the relationship the teacher has with the student. Some
schools have a prearranged strategy of letting students experiencing reactive anger out of
class to go to the guidance counsellor.

Viewing aggressive behaviour in a developmental context gives it different meaning and

warrants a different type of response from the teacher. Teachers may respond with a teaching
solution to a learning error, but a moralistic response to a behavioural error. In fact,
behavioural mistakes can be thought of as an inevitable part of learning how to behave. What
we need to do is place the emphasis on teaching students new skills, and guiding their
behaviour in a positive direction.

Students who use anger as a tool for intimidation present as very much in control, calm, yet
frightening. They make their threats or demands in a controlled manner. With these students
the best thing to do is not to fight but not to give in. State the consequences of the behaviour
if they follow out their threat and quote the school policy in this area. Sometimes instead of
getting locked into a power battle giving a face saving way out can help diffuse the situation.

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Students who try to use anger to manipulate present as calm, yet they have an inconsistent
pattern of demands. The topic of conversation changes and the student may describe other
incidents where he/she felt hard done by and begin an entirely different conversation than the
one you were having. There is a clear underlying thread in this exchange: you give me what I
want and I won’t lose control. In this situation the broken record technique works well –
simply stick to the original topic and state consequences of behaviour. It can also help to
arrange a meeting at a later date to get all the concerned parties together so that all the facts
are clear. When there is good communication it is difficult to manipulate a person or
situation.

Both reactive and instrumental anger differ in timing, intensity, and frequency of occurrence.
One thing they have in common is the need for assessment and intervention. We also know
that many of these young people can have an underlying skills deficit – they can focus on
negative aspects, or threats in the environment, problems in cognitive processing, behaviour,
self-control, and ability to cope in social situations (Lochman, Lampron & Rabiner, 1989).

Assessing anger
Schools in addressing incidents of challenging behaviour should assess and record these in an
objective and systematic way. This may be done using some assessment instruments or self-
monitoring or simply recording behaviour as it occurs.

There are a number of different scales for self- assessment, or self- monitoring of anger
(Findler & Engel, 2011). In schools young people come to the attention of staff because of
their inappropriate behaviour. Typically they have been acting out – involved in some row,
aggressive incident, or other unacceptable behaviour. The initial contact with these young
people should be about building a relationship of trust.

Once the young person is agreeable to working on the anger issues, a very easy self-
monitoring tool is the Hassle Log (Feindler & Engel, 2011). This is a very commonly used
tool. The young person records situations and rates his/her anger on a scale. The Hassle log is
used to help individuals identify sequences of ‘trigger’ or ‘setting’ events, their responses,
and to develop awareness by getting them to engage in self -evaluation. It has been used to
teach self-observation skills and self -examination skills. The Hassle log has also been used
to help individual students develop scripts for role play, as a means of developing alternative
behaviour strategies in response to trigger events.

It is important when taking the student’s case history, or using the Hassle log as a baseline
measure that one identifies if this young person’s anger is reactive anger or instrumental. The
nature of any intervention is then based on this assessment. If it is a reactive anger then the
focus is on teaching specific skills, as the anger is viewed as a skills deficit. If the person is
displaying instrumental anger the goal of the intervention is to change the reinforcement – so
they do not get what they want when they act aggressively.

Interventions
Most interventions are based on cognitive behavioural techniques. The idea is the stimulus
triggers a physiological response and a distorted cognitive response, or anger provoking

8
thoughts. This results in the person feeling angry. The typically cognitive approach focuses
on three things –

i) physical or physiological response;

ii) the thinking or cognitive response; and
iii) the behaviour (Feindler & Engel, 2011).

A meta-analysis of all the research studies (Sukhodolsky, Kassinove, & Gorman, 2004)
supports a cognitive behavioural model for older adolescents (15 years to 17 year olds),
probably due to developmental issues such as their capacity for abstract thinking.

Cognitive Behavioural Approach

In the view of the author the most effective approach to anger management is a cognitive
behavioural approach. The cognitive behaviour theorists believe that faulty thoughts and
beliefs underlie anger problems. This is a two pronged approach –

i) decreasing the physiological arousal using relaxation procedure; and,

ii) cognitive thought restructuring or simply changing how you think.

Raymond Novaco (1975) developed a programme for helping adults to deal with anger and
this has been modified for use with teenagers and children (Faupel et al., 1998). An expanded
exploration of this approach is outlined in the sections below.

Reducing the Physiological Response

Relaxation training is an essential part of an anger management programme which can be
employed by the guidance counsellor in collaboration with school management and staff.
Anger is an emotional reaction to a set of circumstances or triggers. The trigger or stressful
event is known as provocation. A firework has been used as a model to explain the way anger
works (Faupel et al., 1998). The trigger is the match that lights the firework and sets off the
anger response. The body of the firework is our reaction internally and externally to the event
outside us, and the fuse is the mind or our thoughts about the event (Novaco, 1975).

There are external factors and internal factors which contribute to the explosion. The external
factors we may or may not have control over e.g. stress in the classroom – too hot, too many
people, someone pushing into you. The internal factors we have control over, and these
include our thoughts and physical reactions to a situation. Our internal response stems from
our beliefs and expectations about certain situations, which can trigger an internal dialogue
and shape how we view a situation.

In working with a student who has difficulties with anger management the school and
guidance counsellor can make a start with teaching the student relaxation. The guidance
counsellor can then work with the student to help him/her understand that there are external
events that he/she may have no control over, but that he/she can control how he/she thinks
about the events or how he/she physically reacts to a situation.

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The next stage the guidance counsellor and school can take is to help the student track his/her
thoughts and anger, to become aware of his/her triggers. The mind and body are
interconnected. Changing how we think can change how we feel. Changing how we interpret
events by re-scripting our internal dialogue is called cognitive or thought restructuring. In
anger management training this means identifying “hot thoughts” and replacing them with
“cold thoughts”. Hot thoughts make us angrier, and cold thoughts are thoughts which calm us
down. The guidance counsellor can work with the student to help him/her to develop a range
of cold thoughts, which can be written on cue cards, as can a range of alternate behaviours, or
calming strategies. To increase awareness the guidance counsellor may also use role play on a
one to one basis, and rehearse common situations which provoke anger.

A worksheet with the visual representation of a firework can also be a useful resource which
can be used to increase awareness. The student is asked to fill in the triggers (the match), to
observe what physically happens (body of firework), and identify the hot thoughts which help
the match ignite the fuse. With older students it can be useful if a behaviour diary of
situations is kept. The following headings may be used:

i) triggers – who, where, when;

ii) what happened in your body and your head or what were your hot thoughts in the
situation; and,
iii) what was the outcome.

Alternatively the Hassle log is a useful resource for documenting setting events and triggers.

Teaching skills Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution

If anger is looked at as a way to communicate, then the goal of the intervention is to teach a
more appropriate way to communicate. Guidance counsellors can work with students in
relation to developing problem solving and conflict resolution skills which can be used as
alternatives to aggressive behaviour. In any problem situation it is wise to begin with the use
of reflective listening rather than assigning blame. Ask open-ended questions such as who,
where, why, when? Closed questions should be avoided as they close down communication,
for example, “do you think I can wait here all day?”, “Do you think I am stupid?” Nelsen et
al., (2001) recommend that we “stop telling and start asking”.

Asking open questions and employing reflective listening skills show the student that you are
listening and may help them clarify what he/she wants and how it can be achieved. Knowing
when to keep quiet and listen is an important skill – do not rush to give a solution but allow
the students to arrive at their own solutions. Often students tell us things at times when we
are preoccupied or at times when we cannot give them the hearing they need. Feel free to
arrange an alternative, more appropriate time when you can listen to them later. Simply say
that what they are telling you is too important to rush, and can you schedule a time to meet
them and discuss it fully. Be sure to follow up on this. If they have come to you with a
problem go back later and check that it has been sorted out or simply ask them how it is
going.

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In order to problem-solve, students need certain skills. First, they have to be able to recognise
that a problem exists. They may have poor reasoning skills, weak logical or sequential
thinking skills, or they may have poor memory. A deficit in any of these areas will make it
difficult to implement problem-solving strategies. These deficits must be remedied or a way
to bypass them identified before proceeding. Young people who have these basic skills can
solve problems but we must have faith in them and their ability to work through and find
solutions (Nelson et al., 2001). It is hard sometimes to trust that students can make choices
and decisions. This demands that we adopt the Adlerian position of driving behaviour from
the back seat. In order to implement some of these ideas we have to trust and let go of some
of our control in the process. All parties must agree on the solution before it can become a
plan and this is where we are able to give choices within limits set by the teacher or guidance
counsellor.

The problem-solving technique outlined below is best carried out on a one to one basis, but
can also be done with a small group. It can be used between guidance counsellors, teachers
and students, but students can also be taught to use the technique themselves.

i) Identify the problem

ii) Brainstorm solutions
iii) Evaluate solutions
iv) Agree the plan and set a time to re-evaluate it

It is important to keep it positive, with no blaming or criticising, instead encouraging students

to participate by taking on board their comments and suggestions. Reinforce the process by
praising and rewarding their efforts to resolve the issue.

Conflict Resolution
Emotions play a large role in keeping any conflict going. Many people come to a situation
ready to fight it out. The main emotions involved here are fear and anger. Sharing emotions
can be as important as sharing perception (Bodine and Crawford, 1998). In order to
successfully resolve a conflict, students need to feel heard, understood, and empowered.
Usually in conflict situations communications are poor and participants are high in suspicion.
Students also need to feel worthwhile and that they are capable. The focus for them has to be
letting go of mistakes and looking to the future (Albert, 2003). Students who learn conflict
resolution skills develop social competencies of co-operation, empathy, creative problem
solving, social cognitive skills, and relationship skills (Bodine and Crawford, 2003). Conflict
resolution encompasses negotiation, mediation, peer mediation, and collaborative problem
solving.

According to Bodine and Crawford (2003) there are four underlying tenets of conflict
resolution:

i) Conflict is natural;
ii) Differences can be acknowledged and appreciated;
iii)Conflict when viewed in a positive way can be seen as a solution-building opportunity;
and,

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iv)When conflicting parties come together and build on each other’s strengths to find
solutions, there is a positive knock on effect where a nurturing climate is created and
individual self- worth is valued.

Guidance counsellors can use a skills training approach outside of conflict situations. Anger
management and communication skills can be taught, and group work used to develop
empathy. There are very few win/win solutions so be prepared to give. Acknowledging the
other person’s point of view can sometimes be sufficient to shift the behaviour. It is important
to stay positive and stay focused on the behaviour, not the student. In this way the student
gets a clear message that this is not personal. Separating the deed from the doer can
strengthen the guidance counsellor and/or teacher-student relationship.

Relaxation Training
We need to keep in mind that the mismatch, between the student’s ability, and the demands of
the school situation can be stressful, and may produce aggression and disruptive behaviour in
some. Relaxation training can also be used as a de-escalating or prevention technique. It can
be adopted as part of an anger management programme or a stress management, or anxiety
reduction programme with older students.

Often in a classroom situation students can be asked to adopt relaxing postures as a way to
calm and centre them before the lesson. Asking the students to close their eyes and sit with
their shoulders relaxed, their hands on the desk with palms facing upwards and their legs
outstretched for a few minutes can relax the mood in the class. The guidance counsellor can
work with teachers and students in relation to the use of relaxation techniques in a classroom
setting.

Older students can be involved by asking them to identify ways in which they relax outside
school hours. They can be asked – “What is your own favourite way of relaxing, and why
does it work?” Sports, taking a bath, or going for a walk, are some common examples but it
is always a very individual thing. Stress is part of life and having a healthy way to cope with
stress is an important life skill.

We all carry tension in our bodies. A certain amount of tension in our muscles helps us to
function, walk, talk, eat etc. When we are under pressure, we hold tension in certain areas of
our bodies. Having the student identify where they hold tension in their body can clue them
in to signs that they need to relax. With pre and early teens, use a drawing and have them
mark the areas of the body where they experience stress with a pencil or marker.
With older teenagers, surveying the body for signs of tension using a list is a helpful exercise.

Music can be used as a tool to build a calm atmosphere, or as background for a relaxation
exercise. With adolescents, using an iPod or mobile phone with their choice of calming music
can help them to unwind. Yoga and meditation can also be used successfully with older
students. Invite students to try different relaxation techniques and to choose their favourites.

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Using Mindfulness
One of the more popular techniques for reducing stress and managing physiological
responses to situations is mindfulness. Mindfulness involves paying attention in a particular
way - on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgementally (Kabat-Zinn, 1994).

Mindful awareness techniques help people to improve their wellbeing by training the mind to
focus on experience in the present moment (Siegel, 2010). Scientific studies have also
validated the powerful effects of mindfulness and established it as a valuable tool for
reducing stress, anxiety, and depression and increasing vitality and resilience. It opens us to
learning and creativity, improves concentration, and attention, and builds empathy and
compassion (Siegel, 2010).

When applied to anger management training it is simply allowing the feeling of anger to
come and go. Acknowledge the anger as present but in a non-judgmental way allowing it to
be and wash over you but acknowledging that it will pass without taking any action on it.

Students who have difficulty controlling their anger present in different ways. The key to
intervention is teaching new skills, putting a strategy in place to deal with the behaviour as it
occurs, not reinforcing the inappropriate or aggressive behaviour and reinforcing the student
for using appropriate ways to communicate and get what they want. If a student has difficulty
in a subject area we focus on what they are struggling with and teach it in a different way. In
the same way if a student has a problem controlling their anger we should identify the area of
difficulty and teach the student the necessary skills. The interventions discussed - cognitive
behaviour therapy, problem solving, conflict resolution and relaxation have wider
applications. These are life skills which are relevant for all students and not just those with
problems controlling anger. Finding the time to teach these skills can be a challenge but thirty
minutes of prevention is better than two hours of fire-fighting. A proactive approach is better
than a reactive one.

Discussion and conclusion

We have seen that control of anger is a developmental issue, and a skill which develops as the
young person matures. However, there are those who lack the skills and experience to control
angry impulses, for a variety of reasons and who require additional support and training to do
so.

There are a number of different ways to address angry behaviour including the cognitive
behavioural approach, which tackles the issue from both a physiological and cognitive
perspective. The strategy here is to make the student aware that they cannot control
everything that’s happening around them, but they can control how they feel, and what it is
that can trigger their anger, and then take appropriate steps to adjust their response to these
triggers. The other component in this approach is conflict resolution, where the student
addresses negative thought patterns they may be experiencing during times they feel angry.
These negative thoughts can stem from misunderstandings, or a lack of coping skills, or
social skills, and these skills can be taught, enabling the student to better solve problems and
resolve apparent conflicts in their lives. Another way to address anger is through relaxation

13
and a number of methods were presented, including practical relaxation exercises, aimed at
addressing physical tension, and mindfulness, which is designed to make students more
aware of what is actually happening in the moment, and accept it rather than try to change it.

Each of these approaches to dealing with anger in the classroom is successful, and their
effective application depends very much on the context, type, and function of the anger being
expressed, and also on the maturity of the individual concerned. It is imperative though to
include the student in this process, giving him/her a sense of ownership of the solution and
empowering him/her to change.

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Further Information
For more information on the Hassle Log (Feindler & Engel, 2011) assessment tool see the
following website: http://www.texmed.org/hassle/

Download an example Hassle Log (Feindler & Engel, 2011) in PDF format from the website:
http://www3.hants.gov.uk/anger-management-hassle-log.pdf

The National Behaviour Support Service list of resources on emotional literacy and anger
management:
http://www.nbss.ie/sites/default/files/publications/emotional_lit_resources_proofed_cu.pdf

The American Psychological Association has some interesting articles on anger management
Strategies for managing anger: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/controlling-anger.aspx

How to recognise and deal with anger: http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recognize-anger.aspx

Worksheets for anger management with adolescents:

http://www.therapistaid.com/therapy-worksheets/anger/adolescents

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Biography
Dr. Moya O’Brien is a Clinical Psychologist. She trained both in Ireland and the USA. She
has worked with children and families in a variety of settings and has extensive experience of
working with children with disabilities. She is a Board Certified Behaviour Analyst and has
completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She has worked for the Mid-Western Health
Board, the ERHA and the Midland Health Board. She is currently director of ICEP Europe an
online training institute for Teachers and other professionals.

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Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the kind assistance of Mr Paul O’Raw, research psychologist at
ICEP Europe, in the editing and formatting of this article.

17
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