All the Rage

You can feel it coming on — your face flushes hot, maybe your fists clench, your heartbeat speeds up and blood pressure rises. It’s rage — and it can go from zero to red-hot in a matter of seconds. Best-case scenario, it disappears just as fast. Worst-case scenario — it completely takes over.

It’s normal to feel angry when you or somebody else has been wronged, mistreated, or hurt. But even justified rage can become destructive, like a wrecking ball ruining careers and relationships.

So, how do we handle these fiery emotions when they erupt? On this episode — how to deal with anger and rage. We learn about healthy ways of expressing our ire; the rise of “rage rooms” and what psychologists have to say about them; and what causes toddlers to throw such terrible tantrums.

ALSO HEARD:

• Psychotherapist Julie Christiansen joins us to talk about her new book “The Rise of Rage: Harnessing the Most Misunderstood Emotion.” Christiansen says she used to bottle up her anger and lash out. But later, as a therapist, she learned how to express these emotions in a healthy way — a skill she now teaches others.
• Nobody can quite rage like toddlers! We’ll talk about this developmental stage with psychologist Alison Zisser-Nathenson, Section Director for Behavior Regulation in the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We’ll also hear from children’s book author and illustrator Molly Bang, who tells a tale of toddler rage in her book, “When Sophie Gets Angry — Really, Really Angry …”