Psychology 409A – Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Outline #2

By:  Tiffanie Jinbo
Beyond Road
Rage

 

Reference:  James, Dr. Leon and Nahl, Dr. Diane.  “Road Rage and Aggressive Driving:  Steering Clear of Highway Warfare.”  Prometheus Books:  New York.  2000. 32-44.

Instructions for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-oral.htm 
Instructor: Dr. Leon James

1.     Expanding the Age of Rage

a.     There is not only rage on the road, but in other environments as well.  Rage is found in parking lots, sidewalks, surfing, neighbor, shopping malls, workplace, cafeterias, desk rage, etc. 

b.     Surf rage is common in Hawaii because it is a popular sport and there are a variety of surfers in the waters from beginners to experts.  When beginners are in the water they don’t have the experience of maneuvering around people in crowded waters and it often leads to injuries and the rage of experienced surfers who are out in the water to have fun and catch some waves.  It is highly unlikely to catch a wave when there are crowds of people in front of you.   

c.      Control of our rages needs to start.  We have to be in control of our emotions and feelings, which are controls we tend to learn at a young age.  Even though there are feelings, thoughts, or actions of rage, it is something that should be kept at a minimum. 

2.     Anger Choice

a.     This is the idea that the feeling of anger is by choice.  People always blame others for their anger, when truly it is our own fault for anger. 

b.     Until taking this class, I really didn’t see anger as a choice of emotion.  I have tried my hardest in the past to control any strong emotions of anger by taking deep breathes and think about my actions and feelings.  After realizing that I was becoming an angry person, I knew I had to change my mindset.  Over time, I have been able to keep any feelings of anger away.      

c.      Not many know or believe that anger is an emotion by choice.  After taking a leadership class in Education Administration, I really learned that there are always two sides to a story, and without knowing both sides you have no right to be angry. 

3.     Protecting yourself from Aggressive Drivers

a.     A list of ways to protect you from aggressive drivers has been created by a traffic safety organization.  The following is a list of some of the ways:

                                                    i.     Do not make any obscene gestures

                                                   ii.     Use your horn sparingly

                                                  iii.     Avoid blocking the right-hand turn lane

                                                 iv.     Do not tailgate

b.     If you are not an aggressive driver, someone you know is.  If you know that you can’t change them there are ways of any occurrences happening to you, and the list on page 39 provides some ways. 

a.     If you feel like you aren’t able to contribute to society and you wish to, the least you can do is protect yourself from the aggressive driver.  If you are an aggressive driver and wish to become the supportive driver, take action by first preventing any occurrences with aggressive drivers.

 

My Home Page:  http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2005/jinbo/home.htm

 

The G23 Class Home Page:  www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/classhome-g23.htm

 

Related Web Links: 

  1. http://www.natyoung.com/surfrage.html  - Surf rage
  2. http://www.roadrageiq.org/   - Prevent Road Rage and Aggressive Driving
  3. http://www.teenhealthcentre.com/articles/publish/article_23.shtml  - Road Rage:  How to Prevent It