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The
ASSESSMENT COMPONENT is used with executive coaching at Capitol Anger Management
Consists of the following scales:
Interpersonal Assertion–this scale indicates how effectively individuals use direct, honest, and appropriate
expression of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors when dealing with others. It indicates the degree to which one is able to
be direct and honest in communicating with others without violating their rights.
Interpersonal Aggression–this
scale assesses the degree to which communication styles violate, overpower, dominate, or discredit another person’s
rights, thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. High interpersonal aggression is related to personality characteristics of rebelliousness,
resentment, and oversensitive response to real or imagined affronts.
Interpersonal Deference–this scale measures
the degree to which communication style is indirect, self-inhibiting, self-denying, and ineffectual for the accurate expression
of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. High interpersonal deference is related to the personality characteristics of apprehensiveness,
shyness, and over-sensitivity to threat or conflict.
Empathy–this scale indicates individuals’ abilities
to sense, understand, and accept another person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A strong sense of others’
feelings and emotions is a key element to anger management. Empathy is a primary characteristic of skilled communicators.
Persons with strong empathy tend to be sociable and outgoing.
Stress Management–this scale assesses perceived
skill in managing stress and anxiety. Anger that results in violence is usually triggered by a stressful event that is not
appropriately managed. Persons with skills in managing stress positively are competent managers of time and are flexible,
self-assured, stable, and self-reliant.
Change Orientation–this scale indicates the degree of motivation and readiness
for change in the skills measured by The Anger Management Map. A high score indicates dissatisfaction with current skills
and a strong conviction of the need to make personal changes.
Individuals with this profile are on a self-destructive
course. They have difficulty expressing their needs and demands. They have difficulty standing up to others and cannot deal
with conflict (low Interpersonal Assertion). They are sensitive to threat and will tend to withdraw when confronted (high
Interpersonal Deference). They have a difficult time understanding the feelings of others (low Empathy). Stress tolerance
is low and as a result their ability to handle stressful situations is quite limited (low Stress Management). The one good
thing going for them is the fact that they want to change, however they do not know how to effect change positively in their
lives. If positive change does not occur, they could look for ways to act out their frustrations (high Conflict Resolution).
Developing Healthy Relationships and Interpersonal Communication
Successful living requires skills
and competencies essential to establishing and maintaining a variety of strong and healthy relationships. Effective communication
is the key to positive and healthy relationships. Communication is especially difficult under stressful conditions. Stress
is usually the trigger for anger. Empathy, the ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes, is a key component in
controlling one’s anger. Research demonstrates that individuals who possess empathy are less likely to act out on their
anger. Assertion is a powerful emotional skill that helps a person to communicate more effectively, honestly, and appropriately.
It is the opposite of aggression or deference. Aggression and deference are patterns of communication that need to be altered
by the emotional skills of anger control/management and fear control/management. Finally, change orientation is the indication
of satisfaction and the magnitude of change perceived as desirable for developing personal and life effectiveness. Change
orientation includes the degree to which a person is motivated and ready for change. Change orientation is a reflection of
the satisfaction or dissatisfaction with current anger management skills and abilities. This scale is a reliable predictor
of an individual’s potential for success through training.
Skill Enhancement Component
Consists
of the following three skill enhancement components:
Interpersonal Assertion
Empathy
Stress Management
Each skill enhancement module consists of approximately 3-4 hours of interactive, learning activities, listening activities,
and post assessments.
The Anger Management Program consists of software and/or print. The software has a full audio
option for the limited reader.
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Emotional Intelligence, a Critical Factor in Anger Management Intervention
George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CEAP
CEO,
Anderson & Anderson
Fellow, American Orthopsychiatric Association
Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management
Providers
Emotional intelligence is the capacity to create positive incomes in relationship to others and ourselves.
It is the practice of being aware, understanding, appropriately expressing and handling emotional states in ourselves and
others. Emotional intelligence is an important skill to acquire because of its usefulness in leadership, sales, marriage
and interpersonal relationships at work, school and families. It is a skill which can be developed and/or enhanced at any
point in our lives.
The Anderson and Anderson model of anger management intervention is one of the first curriculums
to incorporate emotional intelligence as a key component of the skills taught in its anger management classes as well as executive
coaching. The other components of this model include stress management, communication and anger management. All of these four
key concepts are woven throughout the curricula as well as the group exercises, videos and CDs used to teach participants
not only how to manage anger but also how to manage stress, improve communication and enhance emotional intelligence.
Before being admitted into any of our programs, a computer scored Anger Management Map is administered. This assessment
component determines the client’s level of functioning in the following areas, anger management, stress management,
emotional intelligence and communications. Skills in these four areas are the topics taught in the Anderson & Anderson
model of intervention programs.
While an individual may initially enroll in an anger management class as a referral from
the court, Human Resource Manager, Employee Assistance Program or spouse, once in the class, he or she will quickly recognizes
the value of using these skills in all other aspects of his or her daily functioning. Emotional intelligence is by far the
most popular of the four modules mentioned above. It is closely related to empathy, sensitivity to others, compassion and
self awareness. It is what distinguishes persons who make you feel comfortable, optimistic, laugh and feel good about yourself
from those who you avoid because their negativism is contagious and tends to cause you to feel gloom and discomfort.
Currently, in the United States, Canada, England and Bermuda, the largest number of referrals to anger management programs
using the Anderson & Anderson model are from businesses, and governmental agencies, including Hospitals. These organizations
tend to be most concerned about the bottom line, productivity, profit and good morale. Understanding the powerful role of
emotions in the workplace sets the best leaders apart from the rest not just in tangibles such as better results and the retention
of talent, but also in the all-important intangibles, such as higher morale, motivation, and commitment.
Some
case examples
Fifteen percent of participants in our anger management classes are self referred. Several months ago a
young father joined one of our Saturday accelerated classes because he was concerned over his growing impatience and negative
response to his infant son. During his first session, he quickly realized that this “impatience” was also occurring
at his business where he was responsible for managing fifty employees. He also acknowledged being frequently abrasive in his
style of communicating with his wife. Over a ten session period, he was able to see a change in his relationship with others
as well as his self-esteem as he began making changes in his sensitivity to others and using assertive communication rather
than passive aggressive or aggressive communication.
In another example, an executive of a major Motion Picture
Company was ordered to attend an executive coaching/anger management class as a result of verbal abuse exhibited in a meeting
directed to one of his senior staff. Initially, this executive denied the need for help and protested his referral to an anger
management program. During his initial assessment interview, the focus was on his style of communication, (aggressive) level
of stress, (high) emotional intelligence (low) and finally his skills in managing anger which was poor. It was determined
in the assessment session that he may benefit from developing skills in emotional intelligence, stress management, communication
and finally anger management. During his ten week individual coaching sessions, he was promoted at his company and received
a hefty raise. After one year, he is now an advocate in his company for emotional intelligence for all managers and supervisors.
Forty percent of our referrals come from business and industry. Self-referrals are the third largest source of
referrals to our classes. Many of our new referrals come from participants who have successfully completed either executive
coaching or anger management classes.
In our third example, a man decided to take his toddler son for a ride on
his Harley Davidson Motorcycle. A neighbor reported the incident to the police and he was subsequently arrested and charged
with child endangerment and ordered to attend a one year anger management class with a focus of emotional intelligence. Not
only did he express appreciation for the Judge who sentenced him, he also recommended that his local public Adult Education
High School offer anger management and emotional intelligence to the community as a public service. 30% of anger management
referrals come from the criminal justice system which includes the courts, probation and parole.
Just as laughter
offers a ready barometer of emotional intelligence at work, so rampant anger, fear, apathy, or even sullen silence signals
the opposite. In a survey of more that a thousand U.S. workers, 42 per cent reported incidences of yelling and other kinds
of verbal abuse in their workplaces, and almost 30 percent admitted to having yelled at a co-worker themselves. Such disturbing
encounters wreak havoc emotionally, as demonstrated in studies in which physiological response were monitored during arguments.
Such attacks which send the painful emotional messages of disgust or contempt emotionally hijack the person targeted, particularly
when the attack is a spouse or boss, whose opinions carry mush weight.
Emotional intelligence is a relatively new
concept which holds considerable promise in teaching us the skills to relate to each other which leads to positive outcomes
in many areas of human interaction. Currently it is the newest rage in Human Resource and Organizational Development consultation
and training.
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