Top 5 Best Anger Management Books 2023:
- The Anger Trap: Free Yourself from the Frustrations that Sabotage Your Life
- Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion
- Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life
- Dance of Anger, The: A Woman’s Guide To Changing The Patterns Of Intimate Relationships
- Should I Stay or Should I Go?: A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can–and Should–be Saved
Everyone gets angry.
It’s only natural to get angry. This is even more through in these troubling times.
The social media is designed to provoke an emotional response from their users, this is how they make money. The same goes for media companies that publish so-called “rage click articles,” which are purposely written in such a way to make you so mad that you click on them.
Of course, the source of your anger might not source from social media and the overall turmoil on the world stage. Having to deal with unruly kids can sometimes make you snap and cause you to, god forbid, hurt them in a fit of rage.
Another source of anger can be your work. Sometimes the stress of work can be so unbearing that it builds up psychological pressure. And this pressure has to be released in some way, often in the form of blind rage.
The most important thing to keep in mind is that anger can be healthy, but rage isn’t. Rage will scare away people closest to you, it will hurt them, and in turn, hurt you. This is why you should pick up an anger management book.
There is no guarantee an anger management book will help you, but it will certainly set you on the correct path.
Since the market is flooded with all kinds of anger management books, picking the right one can be quite tricky. This is why we’ve decided to do the research for you and review the five best anger management books you can find today.
We’ll also talk about the destruction rage can bring and signs that point that you might want to pick up an anger management book.
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5 Best Anger Management Books In 2023: Detailed Reviews
Here are the five best anger management books that have helped millions of people around the globe. When compiling this list, we gave our best to include a diverse set of authors just to ensure you get the help you need.
1. The Anger Trap: Free Yourself from the Frustrations that Sabotage Your Life – Editor’s Choice
Recognizing rage is extremely easy. You can see people rage all the time at traffic jams, when dealing with unruly children, or when they vent about their crazy boss.
However, anger is much more subtle than that. This is why most of the time, you can’t easily identify other aspects of rage, such as being uncomfortable with loose ends, being impatient, or being overly critical. Those are all aspects of anger most people don’t recognize that easily.
What’s more, most people don’t seem to think that these negative feelings that impact their professional and personal lives stem from unresolved emotional pain.
This anger management book from world-renowned author Dr. Les Carter will teach you how to get to the root of your problem. Throughout some 200 easily digestible pages, Dr. Carter strips away the myths and misconceptions about anger and teaches you how to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anger.
What’s more, The Anger Trap is full of helpful advice that will teach you how to break your destructive cycle of criticism, frustration, and irritation. A destructive cycle that affects you as much as those around you.
This book is, by far, one of the best anger management books you can find today. And even if it doesn’t help you completely, it will set you on a correct path of self-healing.
Pros
- Easy to read
- Help you fight anger at its roots
- Full of helpful advice and anger management techniques
Cons
- Absolutely none
2. Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion – Best General Advice
Anger is a cruel mistress. And if you’re struggling with controlling this powerful emotion, you know how easy it is to lash out at those around you.
If you’re a type of person that is constantly frustrated, people will see that and start tiptoeing around you. What’s more, they even might start feeling uneasy in your presence. This uneasiness can quickly turn into complete avoidance.
Don’t let that happen to you. Don’t let your anger control your life. Thankfully, this anger management book from the author Gary Chapman is chock-full of real-life advice on how to deal with uncontrollable anger.
In Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion, the author shares his deep insights about anger, how it affects relationships, and how you can overcome it.
Throughout some 200 pages, Gary shares his advice, as well as some real-life examples that will help you better your life. After reading this book, you will understand yourself a bit better, you’ll learn how to overcome shame and bitterness, and make positive life changes.
While this book might not fully help those with the deep-rooted issue, it will certainly set them on the correct path.
Pros
- Full of real-life advice
- Full of real-life examples
- This book will help you understand yourself better
Cons
- Might not help those who come from abusive households
3. Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life – Best For Men
Everyone gets angry, both men and women. However, men’s anger is much more destructive. This is because men get more physical when they’re mad.
Don’t believe us? Well, then how about some hard science. Research has shown that men act more violent when angry. What’s more, men are less likely to confront their emotions than women.
This anger management book from the author Thomas J. Harbin will help you identify the symptoms of chronic anger and how it impacts men and those around them. The author describes in detail how unchecked anger can affect your family, friends, and coworkers.
This book is full of advice that will help you identify negative behaviors of men with anger issues express. This book will also teach you how to prevent anger before it even starts by helping you develop healthy habits.
Of course, this book will be useful to women, too. This book is full of strategies that’ll help you understand angry men and how you can help them better themselves.
Pros
- Helps men better understand themselves
- Heps men understand the root cause of their anger
- Full of useful device
Cons
- Not for every man
4. Dance of Anger, The: A Woman’s Guide To Changing The Patterns Of Intimate Relationships – Best For Women
Anger is destructive for all genders. Not just men. Women also have an incredibly hard time dealing with uncontrolled anger.
While men act out when they’re mad, women tend to bottle it up. Women either tend to avoid anger at all costs, or they enter neverending cycles of fighting, complaining, and blaming themselves and others for their unhappiness and anger.
This book from Harriet Lener, a world-renown relationship expert, teaches both men and women how to uncover the root cause of their anger. In this anger management book, you will also learn how to use this newfound knowledge as a vehicle for positive change.
As a woman, you will discover that there is no reason to deny or silence your anger. You will learn how to confront it and use it to your benefit. You will also learn how to better your relationship and make it less toxic.
Just like with most books in this list, no one can guarantee it will work for you. Still, The Dance Of Anger is an excellent resource for women who are having trouble controlling their temper.
Pros
- Helps women understand the roots of their anger
- Teaches women how to use anger as a force of positive change
- Easy to read and understand
Cons
- Some might not find the book that useful
5. Should I Stay or Should I Go?: A Guide to Knowing if Your Relationship Can–and Should–be Saved – Best For Relationships
Like we mentioned time and time again, anger also affects those around you. What’s more, negative emotions such as anger are more prevalent amongst couples than amongst single folk.
This anger management book is written by Lundy Bancroft and JAC Patrissi. Lundy Bancroft is a celebrated author of a bestseller book on domestic violence, “Why Does He Do That,” and JAC Patrissi is a renowned women’s advocate.
In “Should I Stay or Should I go?” Lundy will teach you how to recognize the problems in your relationship and how to deal with them.
Most importantly, this book will help you learn how bad is too bad, and can your partner really change. This book will be of immense help if you’re stuck in a relationship that seems like it’s going nowhere.
If nothing else, this book will help you put things in perspective. It will help you take a better look at the bigger picture and pinpoint what’s the root cause of anger in your relationship.
What’s more, this book is cheaper than a relationship counselor. We recommend you pick it up and use it as a jumping stone for the healing of your relationship.
Pros
- It will help you put things in perspective
- It will help couples pinpoint problems in their relationship
- Very easy to read
Cons
- This book is not a substitute for a relationship counselor
How Anger Affects You And Those Around You
Have you been in a situation where rage caused you to hurt someone you care about? In all that turmoil of anger, it can be tough to see the damage you’re doing. Of course, there are visible signs like tears going down the face of the person you care about and the uncomfortable silence after the shouting match.
But anger issues cause more damage. The damage you can’t spot right away. Unfortunately, there is a long list of ways anger negatively affects you and those around you.
If you’ve come to terms that you have problems controlling your anger, then you must be aware that the anger affects you.
Do you ever feel so angry that you’re having trouble letting something go? Do you feel like you’re always on edge? When you’re feeling angry all the time, it becomes more challenging to cope with aggravations in your life.
This can and will affect your daily activities, life, work, and everything else. Anger will make you lose focus on essential tasks, and will undoubtedly cause people to avoid you. What’s more, anger also causes feelings of regret, guilt, and remorse, especially after a public bout of rage.
Anger also causes physical stress. Short term anger can cause headaches, migraines, chest pain, aches, and much more. When it comes to the long term, anger can complicate any pre-existing health issues you might have. Not just that, long term anger can cause hypertension, high blood pressure, depression, and a wide range of cardiovascular problems.
Like we mentioned before, anger also affects those around you. You’re probably familiar with the saying, “laughter is contagious.” Well, the same is true for anger. Your anger doesn’t just affect you, it affects those around you, and makes them paint you in a negative light.
At the very least, your uncontrolled anger will make people feel put off by you. They also might feel upset, intimidated, or even afraid of you. Not to mention you’re risking pushing out the loved ones around you.
This is why you might consider getting an anger management book. No one in the world can guarantee it will work for you, but it’s certainly a first step on the correct path. Anger management books are full of useful advice and techniques you can try out to reduce your anger level.
8 Signs That Show You Might Need To Pick Up An Anger Management Book
“Pick up an anger management book, man!”
“You might want to sign up for anger management classes.”
How many times have you heard those lines from your loved ones or your coworkers? If one or two people said that to you, you could chalk that off to banter.
However, if every other person you come across mentions that you have anger issues, then you might want to consider picking up an anger management book. So, here are the top eight signs that show you might want to get a hold of an anger management book ASAP.
1. People Are Defensive Around You
Of course, not everyone is defensive around you because of anger. Some people are just too sensitive.
However, if you notice that people are always on guard when you’re around, that might be a sign you have trouble controlling your temper. This is why we recommend you think about how you’re coming across to people. If it turns out they’re defensive because you’re constantly attacking them, you might want to pick up an anger management book.
2. You Regret What You Said Or Did
Everyone says or does things they regret later. But if you’re constantly regretting what you said or did, that might be a sign you’re having trouble dealing with anger.
Anger causes us to act out harshly, and in most cases, irrationally. If that’s often the case with you, an anger management book might help.
3. More Than One Person Has Told You You Have Anger Issues
The old saying goes: “If one or two persons call you a horse, don’t give much thought to it. But if every other person says you’re a horse, you should start buying hay.”
The same goes for anger issues. If everyone around you is suggesting you pick up an anger management book, or sign up for an anger management class, you definitely have a problem.
4. You Feel Like You’re Surrounded By Idiots
If you think the world around you is completely nuts, and you’re the only sane person, that’s usually a sign you have anger issues.
Anger affects the way we see the world, and in most cases, it causes us to see everything in a negative light. If this is often the case with you, you might want to consider getting an anger management book.
5. You Often Feel That Life Is Unfair To You
Life IS unfair. That is a fact. But if you feel like that all the time, then you might be setting expectations that might fuel anger and the feeling that life is unfair to you.
Even a short introspection will show how realistic your goals in life are. If they’re too unrealistic, they’re probably fueling your rage.
6. You Often Blame Others For How You Feel
If you’re always blaming others for how you feel, that is a sign you lack control. Anger often causes us to be defensive, and when we’re defensive, we think the whole world is against us. And when you’re in a constant defense mode, controlling your anger becomes an issue.
7. You Yell A Lot
This sign is pretty clear. If you’re often yelling at people or people are telling you you yell a lot, that is a sign you have an anger issue. This is why we recommend you listen to what people are telling you. If everyone around you is telling you you’re having anger issues, it’s probably true.
8. People Are Tiptoeing Around You
If people are always acting defensive around you, or they’re being cautious about what they say, that’s a sign you have anger issues.
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Our Final Conclusion
Before we sign off, let’s do a quick recap.
If you’re looking for the best anger management book out there, we recommend picking up a copy of The Anger Trap: Free Yourself from the Frustrations that Sabotage Your Life. This book is chock-full of advice on how to identify the negative consequences of uncontrolled anger and how to deal with it.
If you’re looking for more general advice on how to deal with anger, we recommend picking up Anger: Taming a Powerful Emotion. This book is full of real-life examples and advice on how to deal with anger.
If you’re a man dealing with anger issues, you should pick up a copy of Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life. This book will help you identify the root causes of your anger and how to control it and turn it into something positive.
