Chapter 1. Rage: One Womans Story and Treatment

Short Description

Tracy, a wife and young mother, has decided to enter an inpatient anger management program. The four-week program includes a complete medical evaluation along with therapy. The therapist suggests that becoming angry with another person often enables us to get what we want, and the discharge of our frustration also makes us feel better.

Long Description

Tracy, a wife and young mother, has decided to enter an inpatient anger management program. The four-week program includes a complete medical evaluation along with therapy. The therapist suggests that becoming angry with another person often enables us to get what we want, and the discharge of our frustration also makes us feel better. Patients act out their anger in psychodrama. They learn to play childlike games that enable them to ask for help in dealing with their frustration. For Tracy, the most important moment will come when her husband joins her in a face-to-face encounter. Their marriage is in jeopardy and neither can anticipate the outcome of their meeting. After three weeks in treatment, Tracy is learning to control her anger. She believes her problem can be traced back to being raised in an angry family. Tracy is convinced she will never be as angry again. Her husband believes he has been unfairly victimized by his wifeís problem and has begun divorce proceedings. In a challenging encounter at the treatment center, Tracy and her husband are given the opportunity to air their grievances and share their goals. Tracy begins by describing how she has felt belittled by him. Most troubling to her, was when he secretly taped of one of her outbursts and shared it with her pastor and their friends. As her husband listens, Tracy apologizes for her past pattern of anger and thanks him for the times he has been supportive. Tracyís husband voices frustration with his wifeís anger, especially for the times she has thrown things and called him names. He expresses his love for Tracy and his desire for a healthy relationship. At sessionís end, the two embrace. Tracy voices her concern that her husband failed to express regret over the taping. He admits that sharing the tape was wrong, but also still seems to defend his motive for taping her out-of-control rage. He clearly hopes that their participation in the program will repair their relationship.

Questions