My question was, “What else can you do instead of reacting when you’re angry?” Psychologists mostly agree that the best approach is to acknowledge and express your feelings or emotions rather than deny them.

watching anger can be a way of expressing it, though in a different manner than venting or suppressing it. But How can we observe anger without immediate reaction?

1: What can you do instead of reacting immediately?

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Instead of reacting to anger immediately, you can:

1- Observe the Sensation – Notice where anger arises in your body (tightness, heat, restlessness).

2- Name It – Identifying it as “anger” can create distance between you and the emotion.

3- Allow It Without Judgment – Rather than pushing it away or exploding, allow yourself to feel it fully while remaining conscious of it.

4- Express It Through Awareness – Instead of externalizing it immediately, express it internally by fully recognizing its intensity and message.

5- Choose a Response – Once watched carefully, anger can be channeled into speech, action, or silence in a more controlled and intentional way.

 

2: Which psychological approaches is this concept closely related to?

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This approach is closely related to mindful awareness of emotions, particularly within the frameworks of mindfulness meditation, phenomenology, psychoanalysis, and certain existentialist perspectives. Some key names for this approach include:

1- Mindfulness-Based Emotional Awareness – Rooted in Buddhist philosophy and modern psychology, it involves observing emotions without immediate reaction.

2- Witness Consciousness (Sākṣī Bhāva in Vedantic thought) – The practice of watching thoughts and emotions as a detached observer.

3- Psychoanalytic Containment – From psychoanalysis (especially Wilfred Bion’s work), where emotions are held and processed internally rather than discharged impulsively.

4- Phenomenological Bracketing (Epoché) – From Husserlian phenomenology, where one suspends immediate judgment and simply observes emotions as they arise.

5- Existential Reflection on Emotions – In existential philosophy (such as Sartre or Heidegger), emotions are seen as revealing something about our being-in-the-world, rather than just something to be acted on

 

3: More Detail on This Topic

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1- Mindfulness and Anger Observation

Originates in Buddhist traditions (e.g., Vipassana, Zen) and modern psychological adaptations like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).

The practice involves focusing on bodily sensations, breath, and thoughts without reacting.

Anger is neither repressed nor expressed impulsively but witnessed as a transient state of mind.

Key figures: Thich Nhat Hanh, Jon Kabat-Zinn.

2- Psychoanalytic View (Containment of Emotion)

Rather than venting or suppressing, psychoanalysis suggests containing emotions, giving them space to be processed internally.

Wilfred Bion describes “containment” as a way of experiencing emotions fully without being overwhelmed, allowing for deeper understanding and eventual transformation.

Freud also saw observing emotions (through free association) as a way to work through unconscious conflicts.

3- Phenomenological and Existential Approach

Heidegger and Sartre saw emotions as ways we interpret and interact with the world.

Instead of reacting automatically, existentialists suggest we should reflect on what our emotions are revealing about our situation and choices.

Sartre, for example, argued that emotions are part of our freedom—they are not just reactions but choices in how we engage with the world.

4: Practical Applications

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Observe anger like an outsider: Instead of saying “I am angry,” say “There is anger present.”

Describe it instead of judging it: “I feel a heat in my chest, a tightness in my jaw.”

Let it unfold without reaction: See what the anger wants to communicate before deciding how to express it.

Use writing or art as an outlet: Journaling emotions before reacting can help process them consciously.