Psychology 409a-
My Fourth Outline
of Assigned
By Kalena Luney
Decreasing Anger
Leon James and Diane Nahl (2000).
Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of Highway Warfare. (
Instructions for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/409a-g23-oral.htm
Instructor: Dr. Leon James
I. What is your emotional territory?
a.) emotional territory is all of the things you care about, no matter how big or
small. If our emotions are involved, we become protective of our view. By shrinking this territory, we would not see others actions as a personal attack on ourselves.
b.) I get offended easily, however I can recognize that by shrinking the extent to
which I care about things, the less angry I would get when I feel the things I care about are getting attacked.
c.) Shrinking this emotional territory seems like it would be disrespectful to
ourselves and that we might in fact be losing some of what we hold dear. However, the effects it may have on our positive encounters may be worth it.
II. How to reframe your negative thoughts
a.) through self-witnessing, one can look at their thoughts and the potential
outcomes of those thoughts and by reframing those thoughts, can cope with the dangers and emotions affiliated with driving.
b.) This is a way I deal with anger in my daily life. I always let myself look at
positive and it makes the negative seem like not such a big deal.
c.) This is important because if people become aware of their feelings and know
how to deal with them, they are less likely to act out on impulse, thus making the roads a safer place
III. Changing your routine
a.) take actions to avoid the stressors that usually initiate anger in yourself.
Leave early, or take a different route to avoid the traffic if that is a stressor for you.
b.) I am always early because it is how I’ve learned to deal with anxiety. I would
rather be two hours early then ten minutes late. This way, I avoid any anxiety I would feel if I got stuck in traffic.
c.) This would be an effective tool to combat road rage with because it relieves
stress and offers a solid action one can take to avoid anxiety.
Related Links:
www.aipsarmy.com/programdetails/d3.html
www.self-injury.net/stopping/how.php
www.mindtools.com/redpstv.html
My Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leon/409af2005/luney/home.htm
Class Home Page: www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy23/classhome-g23.htm