Post by ruth on Jul 26, 2009 13:03:11 GMT
Anger
Anger has to be one of the most misunderstood emotions in our human experience. Many of us even call anger a negative emotion. Some consider anger to be an emotion we need to eliminate in order to be a "good person".
In our American culture, we treat anger, generally speaking, differently depending on gender. Men are considered "Macho" or "real men" if they become angry even if their anger is unjustified. Women who become angry are labeled "premenstrual', "bitchy", "emotional" and so on. The message women receive is to hide their anger, while men are encouraged to be angry and that it is better than being sad or afraid.
Of course, there are men who stuff their anger down below consciousness and their are women who show their anger before admitting to feeling sad or afraid. So how come anger has such a bad reputation?
We act out what we believe. So, what would some of the beliefs be underneath the typical woman's style of handling anger? How about a typical man's way of handling their anger?
Feelings are often layered. The ones most comfortable for a certain personality will be on top, or on the surface. They are often a great cover up for the deeper feelings. How do we decide how to layer our feelings? Our family, friends, culture and even the media help us decide how to express or hide ourselves.
Watch yourself and others to see if you can notice the layers of emotions. Play with ideas about what you might think the beliefs are underneath the way people have placed anger in their layers. Next time we will talk in more detail about layers and beliefs.
light thoughts by Marlana
Anger has to be one of the most misunderstood emotions in our human experience. Many of us even call anger a negative emotion. Some consider anger to be an emotion we need to eliminate in order to be a "good person".
In our American culture, we treat anger, generally speaking, differently depending on gender. Men are considered "Macho" or "real men" if they become angry even if their anger is unjustified. Women who become angry are labeled "premenstrual', "bitchy", "emotional" and so on. The message women receive is to hide their anger, while men are encouraged to be angry and that it is better than being sad or afraid.
Of course, there are men who stuff their anger down below consciousness and their are women who show their anger before admitting to feeling sad or afraid. So how come anger has such a bad reputation?
We act out what we believe. So, what would some of the beliefs be underneath the typical woman's style of handling anger? How about a typical man's way of handling their anger?
Feelings are often layered. The ones most comfortable for a certain personality will be on top, or on the surface. They are often a great cover up for the deeper feelings. How do we decide how to layer our feelings? Our family, friends, culture and even the media help us decide how to express or hide ourselves.
Watch yourself and others to see if you can notice the layers of emotions. Play with ideas about what you might think the beliefs are underneath the way people have placed anger in their layers. Next time we will talk in more detail about layers and beliefs.
light thoughts by Marlana