❖ Irrational trigger thoughts make us feel helpless
The pain we experience can feel out of our control. Psychologists call this orientation and "external locus of control." As long as we believe that the problem exists outside of us, the more we feel stuck and the more angry we become. When our thinking is irrational, our anger will continue, possibly spinning out of control.
All anger involves a perception of an unjust threat. This means the rational locus of control should be internal. Effective anger management requires clear thinking. Changing irrational trigger thoughts to positive self-talk when the threat is real and modulating our arousal to serve us well are important for managing anger.
Next: Principle 12: Anger and action are different