???????? ????If a person with anger-related problems entered therapy for anger reduction, should insurance companies be required to reimburse treatment at a rate comparable to that of treatment for anxiety or depression? If yes, why? If no, why not? As you may recall from Chapter 4, evidence links chronic anger to serious health problems, including coronary heart disease. Anger also contributes to a range of problem behaviors such as abusive parenting, aggressive behaviors including intimate partner violence and aggressive (as well as risky) driving, problems at work, and negative feelings about oneself (e.g., Dahlen, Edwards, Tubre, & Zyphur, 2012; Shorey, Cornelius, & Idema, 2011; Spector, 2011). Anger also serves as a

“red flag” in predicting both poorer outcomes in psychotherapy and a greater risk of relapse after successful treatment of substance abuse (Patterson et al., 2008). However, anger is not necessarily problematic. When it is mild or moderate in degree and expressed constructively, anger can lead to positive outcomes such as standing up for oneself, setting appropriate limits, and mobilizing one’s efforts to resolve problems in personal relationships.

Problems occur when anger becomes too strong or is expressed inappropriately, leading to many negative outcomes such as states of personal distress (e.g., embarrassment, guilt, self-recrimination), negative physical outcomes (e.g., injury to self and others), legal and financial problems (e.g., arrests for assault or disturbing the peace, legal bills, and property damage), educational problems (e.g., dismissal from college), vocational problems (e.g., losing a job), interpersonal problems (e.g., damaged or terminated relationships), and impaired role behaviors

(e.g., abusive or dysfunctional parenting). The personal suffering and costs associated with excessive or inappropriate anger more than meet the threshold for maladaptive or dysfunctional behavior