THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ANGER IN A CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT

This article proposes that while violent behavior has received much at tention, the emotion of anger that may underlay violence, has relative ly been ignored in the psychological literature. The status of anger i n the psychological and medical literatures is reviewed. A criteria fo r a proposal of anger disorder for inclusion in DSM are presented. Psy chotherapy outcome studies of anger are briefly reviewed. It is propos ed that the primary problem in psychotherapy of anger is a failure to reach a therapeutic alliance with clients in order to change their ang er, Suggestions for reaching a therapeutic alliance with angry clients and attaining agreement on the explicit goal of changing their anger are presented. Script theories of emotions are presented as an importa nt tool for understanding the therapeutic alliance in different cultur al groups. The creation of new scripts that are acceptable to the pati ents cultural group is presented as one strategy to formulate the ther apeutic alliance.