Social Psych: Anger Observations
- due April 7
Psychology/Sociology 210 --
Spring 2005 -- Dordt College --
Dr. Sherri Lantinga
What triggers your daily feelings of frustration and anger?
How do your feelings affect your behavior and that of others? In this assignment
you will monitor your anger-related feelings, identify situational factors that
influence them, and reflect on the behavioral outcomes of your feelings.
Take notes on all of your feelings of
anger/frustration/irritation for at least 48 hours. For each incident, note the following:
- The immediate cause of your anger, its immediate target
(roommate, friend, etc.), and the intensity on a 1-10 scale (where 10 =
complete outrage or extremely aggressive feelings and 1= minimal annoyance)
- The setting (e.g., time of day, temperature, noise,
presence of others, unfamiliar, time pressures, etc.)
- Biological factors (e.g., your level of hunger, tiredness,
stress)
- Your immediate behavioral responses (for example, speak
louder, tense muscles, swearing, withdrawing from others, throwing things)
- Others' reactions to your behavior (if any)
Read the Taylor article on library reserve.
In a 3-page (typed, double spaced) paper, address the
following issues:
- What patterns are there across the various incidents (e.g.,
time of day, hunger or stress levels, type of provocation, etc.)?
- What are your reactions to Taylor's article? Does her
article relate to your own experiences with anger?
- What did you learn about anger
or yourself through this assignment? Are there any things you would like to do
to modify the way you experience or express your anger?
- Attach your self-observation notes.
This paper, worth 25 points, will be evaluated on the
following criteria:
- Ability to abstract patterns from data
- Depth of insight about factors causing and contributing to
anger
- Depth of self-reflection and connections to the
Taylor article
- Clarity of written expression
- Mechanics & format (notes attached, grammar, organization, etc.)
last revised January 2005