Moving from common myths to a better understanding of anger in young people

Anger is perhaps the most misunderstood of all feelings. When we think about anger, we are likely to be affected by common stereotypes about anger as an emotion, who gets angry, and how anger is expressed. There is often a misunderstanding that anger always results in obvious aggressive behaviour and so it is a ‘bad’ emotion.

Myths about anger are harmful as they can make it harder for people to seek and receive helpful support for anger-related difficulties. It is important to challenge these myths because we know that problematic anger can be extremely destructive to a young person’s life. We also know that it can be effectively treated. This resource dispels common myths surrounding anger and anger-related difficulties.