Are external factors making women angrier, or are they just acknowledging their feelings more?
It’s a bit of both, suggests psychotherapist Jennifer Cox, author and co-host of the Women are Mad podcast.
She started researching anger after suspecting her female clients’ suppression of it was the root cause of some of their physical conditions.
“There was this pattern of women coming in with migraines, stomach issues, musculoskeletal and immune issues. Ultimately it was hard to ignore,” she says.
“They were trying to keep their kids on track, look after their mental health and somehow do their job [too].”Cox later ran group sessions where many women let out pent-up feelings of anger.
“We’ve been brought up with this ridiculous ‘good girl’ stuff… indoctrinated in this idea of being good, polite, kind, thoughtful, caring,” she says.
“The big change from previous generations is that we are expected to do it all.”
Psychologist Dr Tara Brach agrees anger has its place.
“The key thing is under anger there’s something we care about. Anger is a messenger, it brings us energy to protect, confront injustices, set boundaries, to make a change.
“It becomes unhealthy when it possesses us, or when we act in ways that harm.”
To channel it effectively, Brach advocates mindfulness, in particular the “RAIN” strategy – recognise the emotion, allow yourself to experience it, investigate the cause, and nurture feelings of understanding.
