Anger Management: a Review of the Self-Help Book Angry All the Time

Are you angry all the time? Do you often regret things that you have said or done in anger? Do people try to avoid you when you are angry? These are just some of the questions that might be considered when evaluating what place anger has in your life. Angry All the Time: An Emergency Guide to Anger Control, by Ron Potter-Effron, is a book about anger, the ways that anger manifests, and how to understand your anger so that it doesn't rule your life.

Ron Potter-Effron divides the chapters of this 135 page book into short segments related to specific anger topics. The chapters are designed to be read from front to back, but it would be easy enough to single out certain chapters to read without reading the book page by page. This book is for those who have already realized that they have a major issue with their anger, according to the author.

The Table of Contents

Part I: Understanding
1 My Life is a Mess Because of My Anger
2 Why? Why? Why? Why Did I Become So Angry?
3 Why Can't I Stop? The Six Main Reasons People Stay Angry
4 The Anger and Violence Ladder

Part II: Action
5. Fish or Cut Bait-It's Time to Make a Promise
6. Climbing Down the Ladder, Part 1-No More Violence of Threats
7. Climbing Down the Ladder, Part 2-Keep That Foul Mouth Shut Until You Learn to Talk Right
8. Believe It or Not, They're Not Out To Get You
9. Saying Good-bye To Old Resentments
10. I Need Help, Too-A Chapter For Partners of Angry People
11. Where Do I Go From Here?

The Best Parts of the Book

My copy of the book actually has post-its on a fair number of pages to identify sections that I have used in counseling for both individuals and with psychoeducational groups. Among my favorite sections, a few activities stand out for their visual and applied value to the person using the book.