Anger is negative when it results in violence, but in itself, it can also have positive effects, which enhance our psychological and physical well-being. Anger in the first instance is a way of asserting our rights and importance in the world. We get angry when we feel mocked, deceived, or underappreciated in our intrinsic worth as a human being. Healthy and constructive anger manifests in intimacy, acceptance, courage, and reconciliation. It also allows us to achieve independence and freedom, as well as rational thought formed from irrational pain, which can lead to life-changing, even revolutionary action. It generates feelings of passion and justice, a strong motivation to remedy an unfair situation, empathy, and self-love. Anger is a demand for responsibility, a social act, and an opportunity for the future. People who experience anger are more optimistic than people who tend to suppress it, because it allows them to feel powerful, and this can bring about real change. In short, anger is ultimately an expression of hope.
Women and men, however, experience anger in two completely different ways, and this is one of the underlying causes of gender discrimination. In order to make progress in gender equality, we need to become aware of how society has shaped male and female roles over the centuries, in such a way as to empower men and relegate women to a position of subordination. One of the main aspects of this pattern of inequality is the different way in which male and female anger is handled.
