Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion

This "landmark book" (San Francisco Chronicle) dispels the common myths about the causes and uses of anger as Dr. Carol Tavris expertly examines every facet of that fascinating emotion—from genetics to stress to the rage for justice.

Social psychologist Dr. Carol Tavris explores myths around anger—ideas such as expressing anger is always good for you, suppressing anger is always unhealthy, or that women have special "anger problems" that men do not—and provides a helpful guide on how to use anger constructively and how to diminish anger without being aggressive or hostile.

Fully revised and updated, Anger now includes:
-A new consideration of biological politics: Should testosterone or PMS excuse rotten tempers or aggressive actions?
-The five conditions under which anger is likely to be effective—and when it's not.
-Strategies for solving specific anger problems—chronic anger, dealing with difficult people, repeated family battles, anger after divorce or victimization, and aggressive children.

Carol Tavris, Ph.D., is a social psychologist, writer, and educator. She earned her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Michigan. She was senior editor for several years of a then-new magazine, Psychology Today, and went on to develop a career as a teacher, lecturer, and psychology writer. She is coauthor (with Carole Wade) of The Longest War: Sex Differences in Perspective and an introductory textbook, Psychology. In addition to writing the "Mind Health" column for Vogue magazine, she has written many articles and book reviews on diverse issues in psychology for a wide variety of magazines, including The New York Times, Discover, Science Digest, Human Nature, New York, Harper's, Geo, Ms., Redbook, and Woman's Day. While living in New York, Tavris taught at the Human Relations Center of the New School for Social Research, and in Los Angeles she now teaches from time to time in the department of psychology at UCLA.