Book Review: The Anger Workbook

The Anger Workbook
By Les Carter and Frank Minirth
Thomas Nelson, Reprint 2012
English, 256 pgs

Description:
Don't Let Anger Take Control!

Most people stereotype anger by assuming that it always results in shouting, slamming fists, or throwing things. However, anger is not that one-dimensional.

In fact, all of the statements below represent feelings of anger:

• When I am displeased with someone I shut down any communication and withdraw.
• I get very tense inside as I tackle a demanding task.
• I feel frustrated when I see someone else having fewer struggles than I.
• There are times when my discouragement just makes me want to call it quits.
• I can be quite aggressive in my business pursuits or even when just playing a game.

We all deal with anger in our lives, whether it be in a subtle or violent manner. Being angry can involve such emotional expressions as frustration, irritability, annoyance, aggravation, blowing off steam, or fretting.

The good news is anger can be managed. In The Anger Workbook Les Carter, Ph.D., and Frank Minirth, M.D., offer a unique 13-step interactive program that will help you:

• Identify the best ways to handle anger
• Understand how pride, fear, loneliness, and inferiority feed your anger
• Uncover and eliminate the myths that perpetuate anger-"Letting go of my anger means I am conceding defeat" or "No one understand my unique problems."
• Identify learned patterns or relating, thinking, and behaving in your life that influence your anger.

Review:
This is a very intense and involved workbook. It is not something that you can sit down and just "breeze through". This requires you to spend time and effort toward learning about your own anger issues (and note, as in the description above, it's not just violent anger) and coming out a better person, better in touch with yourself and your feelings. The biggest thing you will learn is to discern what is actually causing your anger.

I've taught my sons that it's okay to be angry, it's not okay to act angry. This book will help you work through your anger issues in a methodical manner. It does rely on Biblical principles, but not to the point of it being "preachy".

The format of the book is easy to follow. It has 13 steps, each with its own chapter. The chapters are long. I think a week in each chapter is adequate and really allows you to work through each step. I like that there is a chapter regarding anger in children. Our 6 year old is struggling with learning how to control emotions and I found really good tips and information in that chapter to help him.

I received a copy of the book from BookSneeze in exchange for an honest review. No additional compensation has been received.