CART Understanding Anger & Causes 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which brain structure is primarily responsible for generating the initial anger response before the cortex can evaluate the threat?
- Hippocampus
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Thalamus
- Cerebellum
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala fires a rapid 'low road' threat response before the prefrontal cortex can assess the situation rationally.
Question 2: A client reports feeling intense anger every time a coworker interrupts him in meetings. This pattern BEST illustrates which anger trigger category?
- Environmental stressors
- Interpersonal frustration
- Internal belief violations (Correct answer)
- Physiological arousal
Correct answer: Internal belief violations
Repeated anger at being interrupted reflects a violated belief about respect and personal rights rather than just situational frustration.
Question 3: The 'hydraulic model' of anger, which compares anger to pressure building in a tank, has been largely discredited because:
- It ignores cultural factors in anger expression
- Venting anger typically increases rather than reduces aggression (Correct answer)
- It was developed before neuroscience existed
- It applies only to male anger patterns
Correct answer: Venting anger typically increases rather than reduces aggression
Research shows that venting or 'releasing' anger (e.g., punching pillows) tends to rehearse and escalate aggressive responding rather than reduce it.
Question 4: Chronic low-grade anger is MOST closely associated with which physiological outcome?
- Reduced cortisol production
- Elevated inflammatory markers and cardiovascular risk (Correct answer)
- Increased parasympathetic tone
- Improved immune surveillance
Correct answer: Elevated inflammatory markers and cardiovascular risk
Sustained anger keeps stress hormones elevated, promoting inflammation and increasing risk for hypertension and heart disease.
Question 5: When a client's anger is rooted in a perceived loss of control over outcomes, the CART therapist should primarily address which core need?
- Safety and predictability (Correct answer)
- Social belonging
- Achievement and status
- Sensory stimulation
Correct answer: Safety and predictability
Loss-of-control anger fundamentally threatens the individual's need for safety and predictability in their environment.
Question 6: Which of the following BEST describes 'secondary anger'?
- Anger that occurs after a second triggering event in one day
- Anger used to mask or cover a more vulnerable primary emotion (Correct answer)
- Anger expressed by a bystander witnessing injustice
- Anger that is displaced onto an unrelated target
Correct answer: Anger used to mask or cover a more vulnerable primary emotion
Secondary anger arises as a protective emotional layer over more vulnerable feelings such as fear, shame, or hurt.
Question 7: A therapist notices that a client's anger spikes only when blood sugar is low and sleep is disrupted. This highlights which dimension of anger assessment?
- Cognitive appraisal
- Psychodynamic history
- Biophysiological vulnerabilities (Correct answer)
- Attachment style
Correct answer: Biophysiological vulnerabilities
Physiological states such as hunger and fatigue lower frustration tolerance and are classified as biophysiological vulnerability factors in anger assessment.
CART Understanding Anger & Causes 2
Which brain structure is primarily responsible for generating the initial anger response before the cortex can evaluate the threat?