anger management Resources

Inside Out: Continuing to Cage Your Rage

By Murray C. Cullen and Michael Bradley (Lanham: American Correctional Institution, 2001).

Summary:

Inside Out is the companion volume to Cage Your Rage (also produced by the American Correctional Association), which sought to help ex-offenders recognize unhealthy expressions of anger and overcome them.  Inside Out is meant to stand alone, but could be employed with the earlier workbook for a more comprehensive anger management curriculum. 

Purposively hands-on, this volume effectively aids the reader in uncovering the root causes of anger, rather than its expressions.  One of the most effective facets of the material is its delineation between primary and secondary emotions.  The authors describe primary emotions as “the first reactions you have to an exciting event, whether it is upsetting or pleasant.”  Some of these primary emotions are confusion, powerlessness, shock, helplessness, embarrassment, or hurt.  The authors’ aim is to encourage the reader to actually deal with these primary emotions rather than the secondary emotions of anger, depression, sadness, or bitterness.  This comes to fruition through a number of hands-on writing exercises wherein the reader is asked to recount episodes of anger and determine what could have been done differently were one to act on primary rather than secondary emotions.  Directed primarily to ex-offenders, Inside Out is a helpful, concise, and focused resource for anyone developing an anger management curriculum.

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

Inside Out is an excellent resource to consult for those practitioners who are developing some sort of curriculum to deal with anger management among ex-offenders.  Concise yet comprehensive, this workbook helps people face their anger and learn to replace it with healthy thought patterns. Utilized either in group therapy or individually, its approach is a practical way to address anger in a focused, redemptive way.