Anger-Free: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger [Hardcover]

W D. Gentry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1999

Are you consumed by rage? Do you seethe and simmer, slam doors, or scream at people? Is so, you may be one of the millions afflicted with high-intensity, high-frequency, long-lasting "toxic" anger, a debilitating disorder that can destroy your job, your relationships, and even your health.

Anger-Free offers a simple mind/body approach to alleviating dysfunctional anger. Drawing on three decades of professional and personal experience, Dr. W. Doyle Gentry presents a fresh perspective on anger management with clinically tested methods that draw on the psychobiological elements of toxic anger and far surpass the commonly prescribed therapy to "hold it in" or "let it out."

In his easy-to-understand ten-step program, Gentry provides self-assessment inventories to test anger levels, offers case histories as learning tools, outlines the pitfalls of anger management, and sets realistic goals to overcoming the "toxic" behavior. Complete with positive exercises to promote healthy, lasting change, Anger-Free delivers effective methods to master your anger successfully -- without professional therapy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Anger, according to psychologist Gentry, is a universal human emotion serving several "positive functions," such as resolving conflicts, promoting self-esteem and motivating needed action. But, Gentry claims, some 20 million Americans suffer from toxic anger syndrome, or TAS, which involves "a level of anger that is experienced by otherwise normal people much too frequently, is too intense, and lasts too long." Caused by a combination of genetic temperament and "lifelong bad habits," TAS exacts a high cost in all areas of the person's life?economic, social, vocational, mental and physical. Using the damaging aspects of TAS as "disincentives," Gentry's "ten basic steps" toward freedom from this problem include self-awareness, stress reduction, personal assertiveness, learning empathy, physical exercise and self-expression through writing and speaking. Gentry provides a comprehensive yet succinct description of the causes and effects of TAS, a diagnostic self-assessment tool, many exercises and specific examples of out-of-control anger episodes. He delivers a surprisingly exhaustive view of abnormal anger, and his treatment exhibits much greater depth of understanding than the usual hold-it-in or let-it-out approaches.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Doyle Gentry's new book, Anger-Free,is a lively account of ten practical steps to managing anger. Read it for your own sake. Then study this work for the sake of your social relationships. Start now." -- Berton Kaplan, Ph.D. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (February 17, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688155006
• ISBN-13: 978-0688155001
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,495,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

W. Doyle Gentry, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and Director of the Institute for Anger-Free Living in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association and was the Founding Editor of the Journal of Behavioral Medicine. In Dr. Gentry's four-decade career as a scientist-practitioner, he has authored over 100 publications, including eight books, and is a pioneer in the fields of health psychology, behavioral medicine, and anger management. He has previously served on the faculty of Duke University Medical Center and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. Gentry has conducted training seminars for lay and professional audiences throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has also served as a consultant to major industry, where he specializes in conflict management, team building, and health promotion. Articles referring to Dr. Gentry's work on anger regularly appear in a variety of contemporary magazines, and he is frequently interviewed on radio and television for insights into how to create and maintain an anger-free life. He is the author of two earlier self-help books on anger: ANGER-FREE: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger (Quill, 2000) and When Someone You Love Is Angry (Berkley, 2004).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IF YOU EVEN THINK YOUR PROBLEM IS ANGER, THIS BOOK'S FOR YOU, February 8, 2000

By 

BA (Miami, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anger-Free: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger (Hardcover)

If you have ever considered your problem may be anger, this is the right book for you. I am 30 years old and was the type that would be firm when upset, but not (I thought) too angry. I also had occasional violent blow ups.(3-5 time per year, for about 15 years) I was on course to destroying my relationship by casting blame and not assuming any. This book does two things well. First it enables you to determine what type of anger you have and secondly how to deal with it. This book is very well written and by the end of the first chapter I felt confident that I could defeat my anger. It has been several months now and I am able to express my anger constructively and have regained my life. Having dealt with this problem has lifted a load I never even knew existed. Even my co-workers say I seem much happier and they now enjoy working with me. This book will help you or your loved ones live a happier, healthier life at any age. You can do it!

73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an answer to how to deal with my anger. Hope, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Anger-Free: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger (Hardcover)

I knew I was angry, but not until I read this book did I realize how really angry I was. Like a volcano with nowhere to explode except on the people I care about or came in contact with. The book was painful at times to read and also offered hope. It is well written and gives actual stories of people and research to back up the effects of Toxic Anger Syndrome. I have nowhere to go but up after reading this book. If you or someone you know has problems dealing with anger in maladaptive or inappropriate ways then this is the book. There is hope, god works in such mysterious ways.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It helped me recognize my anger!, December 12, 2001

By 

Kurt Grashaw (Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anger-Free: Ten Basic Steps to Managing Your Anger (Paperback)

I have lived with anger my entire life. I was fianlly able to recognize my problem through this book. I felt like someone finally understood how hard it was to let go of the anger.

It was a great source of reference for me and helped me start a life free of anger. I feel so much better....thanks.