Anger in Older Folks

Movies like Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men have portrayed anger in older men in a humorous fashion. However, Anger is not at all funny, for either sex.

Anger is the direct result of unresolved stress leading to frustration which in turn leads to the angry response when people sense they are being attacked.

So, what are the attacks that older folks are prone to? Usually they are verbal or other psychological attacks at themselves or at their loved ones. Here are a few examples of several of my recent clients who have exhibited this exact behavior.

Take the older individual who has contemporary friends or relatives who have many kinds of illnesses and are therefore forced to face their own mortality. Do you not think this is stressful and frustrating? Add to that stress, say, with a grand-child who is cranky and a parent who reprimands the child by yelling excessively in the presence of a grand-parent and again it becomes stressful and frustrating to the older individual and you have the makings of an angry response.

Or take the retiree who now has lots of time on their hands with little or nothing to occupy that time. This can be stressful and frustrating to them. Press their buttons in any way and you have the makings of an angry person.

Also, the state of our economy can be extremely stressful to older individuals with the loss of value in their homes, the loss of value in their 401K’s and other investments and perhaps reduced income as well. These can easily lead to frustration and an angry response when provoked.

Some illnesses and even medications for those illnesses can cause stress and frustration and side-effects which can lead to an angry response.

An anger management program by a Certified Management Coach can frequently teach older individuals the skills necessary to gain control of their anger, to ease the stresses in their lives, to enhance their emotional intelligence and to improve their communication skills.

For more information, please contact
Dr. Steven J. Sinert, Certified Anger Management Coach
Nevada Anger Management, LLC
702 353 1750
www.nevadaangermanagement.com
dr.sinert@nevadaangermanagement.com