The Surprising Purpose of Anger

The Surprising Purpose of Anger: Finding the Gift by Marshall B. Rosenberg takes the NVC approach and looks at it specifically in conjunction with anger. Marshall explains how anger is a valuable wake-up call that allows us to see we are thinking in ways that will not get our needs met. It is never the actions of another that lead to anger but our judgements about these actions. By differentiating that it is our evaluation of their behaviour that leads to anger, we are able to take a step back and see what needs of ours are not being met. Our emotions are a natural function which stimulate us to get our needs met, except anger isn’t; anger is created by thinking about the wrongness of the other person – leading to energy wasted on blaming and punishing. Once we are aware of the unmet needs underneath the anger, we are far more likely to take steps to have our needs met. Marshall uses the same steps outlined in Nonviolent Communication:A Language of Life   with examples to explain his method to us. As someone who is frequently confused by anger and has never viewed it as a healthy response, this short book provides a way of working with and through anger to find its message.