Lindsay Kalvig
Feature Editor

Recent studies have shown that anger in the workplace is becoming a greater problem than most would expect. According to the website www.angermgmt.com, in the last six months, two out of ten co-workers have felt angry enough to hurt another co-worker.

Steps may be taken to control such an intense emotion.

Anger management sessions are good tools to help in learning ways to manage angry outbursts and they are much closer than you think.

Mercy Medical Center- North Iowa recently held a session on campus from 12:30-1:15 p.m. on Friday, November 1.

"We discussed healthy and unhealthy expressions of anger and the fact that how we respond is a choice and not a forgone conclusion," Pat Wilson, an individual and family therapist for Mercy Medical Center- North Iowa, said.

According to Patricia Crowe, an instructor of psychology on campus, there are many different ways to cope with angry feelings.

"If you feel yourself losing control, give yourself a timeout. Let yourself cool down and then address the situation," Crowe said. "If there is no compromise that can be met, agree to disagree."

Catharsis, the alleviation of problems by giving them expression, is one of the most common ways to release anger in a healthy way. Psychiatrists generally use this method during treatment. A foam bat is often the object of choice and the angry person may use this bat to release his or her anger upon the person who initially made the individual angry, according to Crowe.

"This technique is not as effective if the anger is not released on the person who caused it. Others include the 'punching the pillow' technique, but this one is not as effective because anger is not directed at the primary source," Crowe said.

Wilson taught many other methods of anger management at the session.

"The idea was to give them an opportunity to look at their own behaviors around expressing anger appropriately and inappropriately and how to deal with people who might approach them, i.e., students, co-workers, etc. and how to defuse their anger," Wilson said.

According to www.angermgmt.com, workplace anger is something that can easily be avoided. Shifting emotional gears from an old pattern to a new one, known as disengaging from mischief, is a technique that requires employees to realize that angry feelings are being directed toward them, and to rationalize as to how to deal with the situation.

This is NOT ignoring the situation or letting adverse anger bottle up inside.

"People's fuses are certainly different. Anger is probably the least rational emotion there is," Crowe said.

According to Crowe, anger as an emotion has some physical side effects as well.

"Anger causes a release of hormones in the body. These hormones have negative effects on your health and actually harm your body. Often times, those who are ill become angry because they have a disease. (These people) die faster because of their anger toward their condition," Crowe said.

Although the recent anger management session was open to NIACC faculty and staff only, Wilson said she was willing to offer another session for students if there is a demand.

Inquiries about such a session could be directed toward Shelly Schmit, director of Human Resources, at 424-0676.

Cassie Nelson
Advertising Manager

Acting as a common outlet for anger and frustration, road rage incidents have increased over the years.

The common thought among drivers is that, "The world would be a better place if everyone drove like me."

Everyday actions made by drivers may seem harmless when in fact they may be considered to be anger or rage-related.

Various websites allow people to test their road rage factor through quizzes.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety provides a great quiz to rate the level of aggressiveness while driving.

The questions are divided into sections which include anger, impatience, competing and punishing.

After answering each question by choosing never, sometimes, often and always, submit the completed quiz and the results will be processed.

Sample questions include: "Do you get angry at tailgaters? As a passenger do you get impatient with the driver?" The quiz may be found online at www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=aggressive.

Another website gives a listing of road rage related actions. For each action selected, a point is given. The point of this site is to get as few checks as possible.

One to three checks represents an unfriendly driver, four to eight checks signifies a hostile driver, nine to 15 checks equals a violent driver, 16 to 19 checks represents a contained road rage driver and 20 to 24 is the equivalent of an un-contained road rage driver.

This road rage test poses questions such as: "Do you yell at other drivers? Do you not let a driver pass?"

This quiz is courtesy of HealthyLife.net and can be found at www.healthylife.net/body/roadRageTest.html.

Billie Moorehead
Editor

Everyone gets angry.

How people handle their anger varies.

According to Helen Karamitros, a NIACC sociology instructor, anger represents a secondary emotion.

"There are tons of reasons why we get angry," Karamitros said. "What you generally find under anger is one of three emotions; frustration, hurt or fear. We learn as we grow up that anger is an easy emotion to use and express, and too often we run away from those other emotions that are painful."

It's important to understand the power of thinking, Karamitros said.

Karamitros suggests to learn "self-talk" and to understand one's own emotions.

According to Karamitros, "self-talk" helps us understand what it is that we are experiencing emotionally.

"Key into body reactions, 'what is it that I'm telling myself?'" Karamitros said.

Stress management is also a good way to break the cycle of anger. Karamitros suggested trying to balance work and leisure, whether it is taking up hobbies such as yoga or gardening, whatever one needs to relax and unwind.

Taking time out for leisure is part of taking care of ourselves, Karamitros said.

Karamitros compared the work ethics of Americans to that of European countries.

"They (Europeans) can't believe we (Americans) only get two or three weeks off a year. We (Americans) have an unbelievable work ethic that contributes to some of us having a short fuse," Karamitros said.

According to Karamitros, the warning signs of someone who is continually angry include body reactions, constant negative thought processes, more often being short with people, headaches and stomach aches.

If one notices these warning signs, there are techniques to develop for change.

Karamitros stresses that people need to develop the method of being more self-aware and find a support person to vent to that can help re-frame a bad situation.

"Perception is powerful," Karamitros said.

People need to learn to accept or change what needs to be changed and recognize situations that are unchangeable, Karamitros said.

Karamitros said that she sees value in workplace sessions that deal with anger because it's always helpful to have the opportunity for people to learn about how to manage their feelings. "We all need help sometimes," Karamitros said. "These sessions also help people realize that they are not alone, and they offer options for dealing with feelings."

A theme to dealing with anger is change and recognition of feelings, according to Karamitros. "It's important to realize that we're all human, if we find ourselves feeling more intense emotions, we need to take a timeout and ask ourselves, what's going on," Karamitros said. "The next step is to make changes internally or externally."

Cassie Nelson
Advertising Manager

Imagine driving to work or school along the highway. People pass by in their attempt to get to work on time. Out of nowhere, a car horn blares.

Checking the rearview mirror, a man gestures with a single digit, as he tailgates the vehicle. This scenario occurs all too often. Common acts such as those are the results of road rage. Charlie Connor, a member of the Mason City Police Department, describes road rage as aggressive driving to the point of being out of control.

Typically, road rage stems from the stress of everyday life. "Road rage is due to the lack of being courteous to other drivers," Connor said.

Common road rage actions include gesturing, swerving, tailgating and cutting people off, Connor said.

"Road rage can occur at any time, but more instances occur in the morning and evening when people want to get to work or get home," Connor said.

Connor stresses the importance of being courteous and polite when driving to avoid becoming part of a road rage situation.

"Turn the other cheek," Connor said. "You can't avoid making mistakes on the road, but it's important to take responsibility."

If a mistake is made while driving, attempt to apologize with a wave or mouth an apology, Connor said.

If for some reason the level of agitation rises while driving, Connor suggests doing whatever is necessary to calm down.

"Take some deep breaths, count to ten, change the radio station and realize nothing good will come out of being angry," Connor said.

When a major road rage incident occurs, more than the two drivers become involved.

If property is damaged or a court case results, taxpayers and law enforcement officials become involved.

While driving, if an act of road rage happens, such as swerving or continuous tailgating, contact the officials.

Be prepared to describe the actions, give details about the vehicle and the location of the incident.

In the age of cell phones, letting authorities know is easy.

Reports may be filed with the Mason City Police Department by calling 641-421-3636. Following these suggestions should help many NIACC students who commute to classes daily avoid or minimize the possibility of becoming another road rage statistic.