Rage (emotion)

Psychology
- Rage (emotion)

Rage (also known as frenzy or fury) is intense, uncontrolled anger that is an increased stage of hostile response to a perceived egregious injury or injustice.

Symptoms and effects

Rage can sometimes lead to a state of mind where individuals experiencing it believe they can do- and often are capable of doing- things that may normally seem physically impossible. Those in a state of rage usually feel the effects of high adrenaline levels in their bodies. This increase in adrenal output raises the person's physical strength and endurance while sharpening their senses and dulling the sensation of pain. High levels of adrenaline, however, can impair memory. Temporal perspective is also affected: people in a rage have described experiencing events in slow motion. Rational thought and reasoning would normally inhibit an individual from acting rapidly on impulse. An older explanation of this "time dilation" effect is that instead of actually slowing our perception of time, high levels of adrenaline enhance our ability to recall specific details of an event after it occurs. Since humans gauge time based on the number of things they can remember, high-adrenaline events such as those experienced during periods of rage seem to unfold more slowly.

A person in a state of rage may lose much of their capacity for rational thought and reasoning and may act, often violently, on their impulses to the extent that they may attack until they have been incapacitated or the source of their rage has been destroyed or otherwise removed. A person in rage may also experience tunnel vision, muffled hearing, an increased heart rate, and hyperventilation. Their vision may become "rose-tinted" (hence "seeing red"). They often focus solely on the source of their anger. The large amounts of adrenaline and oxygen in the bloodstream may cause a person's extremities to shake. Psychiatrists consider rage to be at one end of the spectrum of anger, with annoyance at the other end.

In 1995, it was proposed that rage arises when the hypothalamus swiftly releases oxytocin, vasopressin, and corticotropin-releasing hormone. This triggers the pituitary gland to generate and secrete significant quantities of adrenocorticotropic hormone, leading to the adrenal cortex releasing corticosteroids. This cascade happens in response to a threatening scenario.

Nearly two decades later, more became known about the impacts of high epinephrine. Studies suggest that glucose, along with epinephrine from the adrenal medulla, affects memory. Although high doses of epinephrine have been shown to impair memory, moderate doses of epinephrine actually enhance it. This raises questions about the role epinephrine has played in the evolution of the genus Homo, as well as its crucial role during fits of rage. The vital role that astrocytes play in the formation of muscle memory may also illuminate the beneficial impact of meditation and deep breathing as methods for managing and controlling one's rage.

Health complications

Research indicates that individuals frequently experiencing rage are more prone to feelings of depression and anxiety. Repressing these feelings can significantly worsen health issues. John E. Sarno suggests that repressed rage in the subconscious may lead to physical illnesses. Additional health complications from regular rage can include cardiac stress and hypertension. Moreover, conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occur with rage.

Treatment

Types of therapy

Research indicates that behavioral and cognitive therapy methods can help those struggling to manage their anger or rage. The two primary techniques for assisting these individuals are role-playing and self-study. Role-playing involves provoking an individual to the point of rage, then guiding them in how to control their reactions. Additionally, multi-modal cognitive therapy serves as another approach to aid individuals in dealing with anger. This form of therapy teaches relaxation techniques, problem-solving skills, and methods for disrupting automatic responses. It has been shown to be effective for those who are highly stressed and prone to angry outbursts.

An emerging business is the rage room, a place where people relieve their stress by destroying objects within a room.

See also [ Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions ]

Emotions