The Positive Power of Anger
Many survivors of Purity Culture often exhibit symptoms resembling PTSD, including intrusive memories and avoidance behaviors. In a recent discussion with Maddie Upson, our Marketing and Communications Coordinator, giving oneself permission to be angry can be a helpful way to navigate and process the pain and injustice connected with Purity Culture.
This raises the question: What do Maddie and Julia and me and countless other people who have been harmed by unjust systems do with their anger?
There’s a thriving market for anger management and stress reduction, from the booming yoga industry—where it's noteworthy that the majority of attendees are women, who often face various forms of systemic injustices—to actual anger management courses primarily tailored for men to control their emotional responses. You know - because men haven't been discouraged enough from delving into the complexities of their emotions.
Don’t get me wrong: Yoga is helpful. The 7-11 breathing strategy is helpful. Cost-benefit analyses are helpful.
And the world is unjust. Economic and social inequality continues to expand.
There are people like me, Julia, Maddie, and countless voices in the religious deconstruction world and various other fields who are crazy enough to believe that the world can be a better place AND that we can promote and participate in systemic changes so that the world can be a better place.
Which brings us back to anger. How can we grasp the complexities of anger and encourage people to expand their responses beyond simply “shut it down”?
Anger is crucial for survival and social systems.
Alan Lambert, Fade Eadeh, and Emily Hanson write the following in their chapter “Anger and its Consequences for Judgment and Behavior: Recent Developments in Social and Political Psychology”:
“We need anger, just as we need fear and pain. Anger is the feeling that warns us that something unjust has occurred. It is a signal that something about the self, or in-group, could be (or has been) harmed, and that a response to the offending party is needed…anger is often maligned as something that is “bad”...
However, anger, like pain and fear, serves a vital role, and it would be difficult to imagine life without it.”
Anger is specifically linked to our sense of threat. Although the authors conclude their article with this point, I believe it's crucial to begin with it because it highlights three important principles of psychology:
a) Our brains are designed to keep us alive.
b) We depend on identifying with groups of people, whether they are family members, social groups, or more abstract communities like the "LGBTIA+ community" or "the church."
c) While individuals may seek change, systems generally resist it.
Therefore, things that challenge our individual lifestyle (ranging from physical threats to the privileges that secure our social class and our own mortality) and the systems we are part of are perceived as "threats" to our survival.
Emotions reflect our values and guide behaviors aligned with them. According to Nico Frijda, emotions act as "signaling devices," highlighting concerns and priorities to prompt action, known as "action tendencies." These emotions adapt to different circumstances.
Anger typically motivates us to pursue change for personal or communal well-being. However, emotions and their outcomes vary depending on the situation. For instance, Maddie's experience illustrates how her religious community discouraged her values of curiosity and fairness. She faced a choice: conform to their norms to avoid backlash or uphold her values and find supportive communities, enabling her to flourish despite the challenges of leaving her original community behind.
Delving deeper, discussions about justice often revolve around fundamental values. The authors ask a crucial question: "What actions does my anger prompt me to consider, and what are the implications of these actions?"
Reflection and Responsibility
This week, pay attention to the times when you feel angry. After apologizing if your anger led to behaviors that hurt others, ask yourself these questions:
In what way did I, or a group/identity I represent, feel threatened?
What values are important to me that I felt unable to express?
What specific actions does my anger encourage me to take? What are the positive and negative consequences of these actions?
Lambert, Eadeh, and Hanson conclude their article by acknowledging that anger is responsible for many evils, such as acts of violence against people and groups. However, they emphasize that future research should focus on how to channel anger to create positive change and foster a fairer and more just society.