CART Psychological & Emotional Impact of Anger 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which psychological concept describes the tendency for unexpressed anger to build up and later explode disproportionately to a trigger?
- Emotional flooding
- Anger accumulation effect (Correct answer)
- Cathartic overflow
- Suppression rebound
Correct answer: Anger accumulation effect
The anger accumulation effect refers to the buildup of unresolved anger that eventually surfaces with greater intensity than the immediate trigger warrants.
Question 2: Research by Berkowitz suggests that anger is most likely triggered when a person experiences:
- Social rejection
- Aversive stimulation (Correct answer)
- Cognitive dissonance
- Ego depletion
Correct answer: Aversive stimulation
Berkowitz's cognitive neoassociation model proposes that aversive stimulation — pain, frustration, heat — automatically activates anger-related thoughts and feelings.
Question 3: A client reports feeling guilty and ashamed after angry outbursts, which then feeds more anger. This cycle is best described as:
- Anger displacement
- Secondary emotion looping
- Shame-rage spiral (Correct answer)
- Emotional incongruence
Correct answer: Shame-rage spiral
The shame-rage spiral occurs when shame triggered by an anger episode generates additional rage, creating a self-reinforcing emotional cycle.
Question 4: Which of the following describes the role of the prefrontal cortex in anger regulation?
- It generates the initial anger response
- It stores anger-related memories
- It modulates amygdala reactivity to dampen anger (Correct answer)
- It releases cortisol during anger episodes
Correct answer: It modulates amygdala reactivity to dampen anger
The prefrontal cortex acts as a regulatory brake on the amygdala, helping to assess threats rationally and reduce disproportionate anger responses.
Question 5: A therapist notices a client uses anger to avoid feeling sadness or fear. This anger function is termed:
- Instrumental anger
- Proactive aggression
- Masked emotion anger (Correct answer)
- Defensive displacement
Correct answer: Masked emotion anger
Masked emotion anger (or secondary anger) occurs when anger serves as a more acceptable cover for underlying emotions like grief, fear, or shame.
Question 6: Chronic anger has been linked to elevated levels of which biomarker associated with systemic inflammation?
- Serotonin
- C-reactive protein (Correct answer)
- Dopamine
- Melatonin
Correct answer: C-reactive protein
C-reactive protein (CRP) is an inflammatory marker consistently found at higher levels in individuals with chronic anger and hostility.
Question 7: In attachment theory, anger arising from perceived abandonment or neglect by a caregiver is classified as:
- Affiliative anger
- Protest anger (Correct answer)
- Narcissistic rage
- Reactive aggression
Correct answer: Protest anger
Bowlby described protest anger as the child's (and later adult's) adaptive response to attachment disruption, signaling distress to restore proximity.
CART Psychological & Emotional Impact of Anger 2
Which psychological concept describes the tendency for unexpressed anger to build up and later explode disproportionately to a trigger?