Letting Go of Anger: The 10 Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them [Paperback]

Ronald T. Potter-Efron (Author), Pat S. Potter-Efron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

Profiles patterns of anger behavior that include Addictive Anger, Sneaky Anger, Deliberate Anger, and Anger Avoidance, and offers self-tests and management techniques that promote healthy and non-destructive expressions of anger.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ron and Pat Potter-Efron are psychotherapist in private practice in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with a special focus on anger management. Ron is the author of Angry All the Time: An Emergency Guide to Anger Control. The Potter-Efrons are also drug and alcohol counselors and the co-authors of Anger, Alcoholism, and Addiction which was featured in the Behavioral Sciences Book Club, and Letting Go of Shame, which was a main selection of the Psychology Book Club.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Pubns Inc (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572240016
• ISBN-13: 978-1572240018
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

134 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The more I think about anger . . ., October 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Letting Go of Anger: The 10 Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them (Paperback)

The more I think about anger, the more fascinated I become. For me, this unusual perspective on anger could not have been possible without reading Letting Go of Anger. From this book, you can learn that anger is a natural, normal, healthy response to something that is wrong in your life. You accept it. You act on it (if you think it's appropriate and if you feel it's worth your while) and then you let it go. You ignore it at your peril. On the other hand, this book is a testament to the fact that natural, normal, healthy anger can be perverted in at least ten different ways. The book deals with ten styles of anger and ten related problems of anger, but in the authors' own words, "there are more, but these ten are common". By reading this intensely practical book, not only can you learn about a perverted style or styles of anger, you can also learn effective ways to deal with perverted anger in others. A word of caution, though. If you think you can use this knowledge and wisdom to assert your power and control over others, think again. Read the chapter on moral anger and it will disabuse you of this notion very quickly. I recommend that you read about all of the styles, not only for your own benefit, but for the benefit of those with whom you live or work. Learn that anger can be avoidant, sneaky, moral, deliberate, habitual, addictive, shameful (based in shame), paranoid, sudden, or hateful. A quiz at the beginning of the book, followed by real life examples of each, will help you to ascertain if you have a favourite style or styles, and enable you to identify any leanings towards one or the other. Guidelines for learning healthy anger follows in the same chapter. One chapter is devoted to each style of anger, and the authors are careful to point out the value in assuming any given style. Each style is categorized in one of three ways: masked, explosive, and chronic. For each style, the authors describe it, relate it to its category, analyze special features, and give remarkably clear, concise advice on how to deal with it competently. To be sure, letting go of anger is not always easy. If you find that you have a particularly difficult time with it (in terms of "always" feeling angry), I would strongly recommend Angry All The Time, by Ron Potter-Efron. If your concern with anger is mild by comparison, you might appreciate what the authors say in the concluding paragraph of their book Letting Go of Anger: "Anger is a part of life. Our wish to you, and for ourselves, is to be able to accept the blessing of anger, to listen to its message, and then to let go of it." I couldn't have put it better myself.

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent. Easy read. Informative, September 19, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letting Go of Anger: The 10 Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them (Paperback)

It starts of with a quiz to help you determine YOUR anger style. It then goes to explain each style & how to work on resolving your anger so that it's functional & healthy. It's easy to read, extremely informative & an invaluable reference in learning about this emotion.

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Time Warp Therapy, December 13, 2002

By 

Concerned parent "Sam" (America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letting Go of Anger: The 10 Most Common Anger Styles and What to Do About Them (Paperback)

This book seems like it was written at the beginning stages of the self-help pop psychology movement. It is like an extra long version of a fashion magazine article on anger "styles." Get yourself a practical book that gets to the heart of the matter like 60 second anger management : quick tips to handle explosive feelings by Michael Hershorn. Anger Management Workbook by W.A.Angus is also a good choice for its practicality. The Anger Workbook by Lorraine Bilodeau is a very straightforward book that illuminates the many causes of anger that aren't just behavioral.