Boiling Point: The High Cost of Unhealthy Anger to Individuals and Society [Paperback]

The lingering debate over whether anger should be expressed or repressed is given a new twist by the author of Shame and Guilt (Health Communications, 1990). Middleton-Moz covers various anger-related pathologies like depression, physical illness, self-righteousness and fanaticism, passive aggression, and violence, dispensing useful advice to both the angry person and his or her victim. "Composite" case studies and moving accounts from the author's own life help the reader identify particular problems and anger "triggers." Middleton-Moz ventures beyond simple self-help formulas; no particular treatment methods for rage are espoused, though she suggests that a combination of psychological, environmental, and biochemical approaches are most effective for dealing with depressive reactions. She also delves into the roots of anger, touching on issues ranging from road rage to children's views of violence to a psychohistory of Adolf Hitler. This popularly written title is an optional but intriguing purchase for public libraries.AAntoinette Brinkman, Southwest Indiana Mental Health Ctr. Lib., Evansville
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From schoolyard shootings to road rage, unhealthy expressions of anger shout at us from the headlines. These are not random acts of violence, but allude to a more profound and deeply rooted problem. With families scattered from coast-to-coast, cozy neighborhoods replaced by impersonal suburban housing developments and intimate conversations forfeited for Internet chat rooms, Americans have lost their sense of connection and community. In this groundbreaking book, noted psychotherapist Jane Middleton-Moz shows us how the resultant psychological, spiritual and cultural imbalances manifest unhealthy anger, including violence, substance abuse, depression and chronic illness. Through revealing case studies from her practice and examples from her own life, Middleton-Moz shows readers how to recognize anger's warning signals-often disguised in other forms-and provides them with concrete steps to stop the destructive patterns that wound relationships and threaten to unravel our society. When properly expressed, anger is a healthy emotion that provides a sign that something is wrong, helps us set clear emotional and physical boundaries and acts as a catalyst for personal and societal change. By encouraging awareness and accountability, Boiling Point shows us how to develop balance in our lives and the ability to express anger in healthy ways for optimum personal growth.

Jane Middelton-Moz is a therapist who speaks internationally on the topics of multigenerational grief and trauma, and cultural and ethnic self-hate. She has over 20 years experience in community mental health work, including a position as clinical director of the largest mental health organization in western Washington. A long time HCI author, Middleton-Moz travels nearly half the years and will be available for book signings around the country. Most of Middelton-Moz's workshops are attended by 300 to 400 people, and she often speaks to groups of 3,000 to 4,000. She has appeared on national radio and television shows, including Oprah. She is the author of After the Tears, Growing in the Shadows, Children of Trauma and Shame and Guilt.

Introduction ôPerfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them.ö —St. Thomas Aquinas I travel often. On one particular occasion I was waiting in line to reschedule a flight that had been canceled because of poor weather conditions. The man in front of me was becoming increasingly agitated. He had been muttering to himself, pacing and slapping his tickets against his hand. As the minutes passed, his voice grew louder, ôI canÆt believe these people. This has happened to me one too many times and itÆs not going to again. They are going to put me on a flight right now, or IÆm going to take my business somewhere else! IÆm a hundred-thousand-mile flyer, for GodÆs sake.ö I thought to myself that his hundred thousand miles in the air werenÆt going to do him any good if the plane crashed in the middle of the blizzard we were facing. Yet he, and many others like him waiting to be rescheduled that day, appeared not to notice the weather. They seemed to feel the airline was deliberately plotting to ruin their lives. When he reached the front of the line, the man screamed and hollered, and threatened the ticket agent, who remained incredibly calm and focused. He was still screaming and threatening as he walked away with his rescheduled tickets in hand. Standing behind me was a mother with three little children. At one point the oldest, who appeared no more than five, asked her mother, ôMommy, why is everyone so angry?ö Her mother replied, ôI donÆt know, honey, some people are just angry.ö According to news reports, the number of raging passengers is increasing. Federal records indicate that the number of attacks on flight attendants has steadily increased from 296 reported incidents in 1994 to 921 in 1997 (Ken Kaye, Aug. 31, 1998). The cases reported went far beyond this manÆs verbal abuse. Flight attendants have been physically and emotionally attacked, sometimes in brutal fashion. Such incidents bring to mind the developing violence in our society. We have ôsky rage,ö ôroad rageö and ôchildren killing childrenö; thousands of people are on medication for depression; countless women and children are killed every year in cases of domestic violence; divorce rates remain high. . . . Are some people ôjust angry,ö or are we lumping many different reactions and emotions into the category of anger and giving that legitimate emotion a bad reputation? The gentleman in the airport wasnÆt expressing healthy anger; he was enraged because he was powerless and out of control. His display of abusive behavior was most likely his common response to frustration. Yet if I asked most people to describe his actions, they would probably say he was angry. ôAngerö is a word that is commonly used to describe a wide range of emotions. Curious how the general public viewed anger, I asked a small number of people for their definitions: Eleven-year-old boy: ôAnger is a mood and it makes me feel like crying. But itÆs better to plai