The Anger Iceberg

We often think of anger as a primary emotion; after all, it’s easy to identify when we’re feeling it; not just for ourselves, but often for those around us. But anger is actually a secondary emotion: there is a reason for our anger, an underlying feeling which we experience first, that leads us to become angry. Perhaps it is feeling belittled or embarrassed, or perhaps it is feeling resentful towards another person. Identifying these primary emotions helps us to understand our anger more fully and can inform our response so that it is more effective.