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Rage (emotion)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rage (often called fury or frenzy) is a feeling of intense, violent,

or growing anger. It is sometimes associated with the fight-
or-flight response, and is often activated in response to being in the
presence of a threat. The phrase "thrown into a fit of rage"
expresses the immediate nature of rage that occurs from extended
exposure to a threat. If left unchecked, rage may lead to violence
against the threat.
Artist's sketches that show
two types of extreme
Contents emotions; the right illustration
shows rage mixed with fear.
1 Etymology
2 Symptoms and effects
3 Health complications
4 Treatment
4.1 Types of therapy
5 Psychology
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Etymology
Rage, Tacuinum Sanitatis
Old French raige, rage (French: rage), from Medieval Latin casanatensis (14th century).
rabia, from Latin rabies ("anger fury"), akin to Sanskrit rabhas
(violence).[1] The Vulgar Latin spelling of the word possesses
many cognates when translated into many of the modern Romance languages, such as Spanish,
Galician, Catalan, Portuguese, and modern Italian: rabia, rabia, rbia, raiva, and rabbia
respectively.

Symptoms and effects

Rage can sometimes lead to a state of mind where the individual experiencing it believes they can
do, and often is capable of doing, things that may normally seem physically impossible. Those
experiencing rage usually feel the effects of high adrenaline levels in the body. This increase in
adrenal output raises the physical strength and endurance levels of the person and sharpens their
senses, while dulling the sensation of pain. High levels of adrenaline actually impair memory, as

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brought to light in Gold's (2014) article. Temporal perspective is

also affected: people in a rage have described experiencing
events in slow-motion. Time dilation occurs due to the
individual becoming hyper aware of the hind brain (the seat of
fight or flight). Rational thought and reasoning would inhibit an
individual from acting rapidly upon impulse. An older
explanation of this "time dilation" effect is that instead of
actually slowing our perception of time, high levels of
adrenaline increase our ability to recall specific minutiae of an
event after it occurs. Since humans gauge time based on the
amount of things they can remember, high-adrenaline events Angel with Temperance and
such as those experienced during periods of rage seem to unfold Humility virtues versus Devil
more slowly.[2] It is safe to assume that there is truth in both with Rage and Anger sins. A
theories. fresco from the 1717 Saint
Nicolas church in Cukovets,
A person in a state of rage may also lose much of their capacity Pernik Province, Bulgaria
for rational thought and reasoning, and may act, usually
violently, on their impulses to the point that they may attack
until they themselves have been incapacitated or the source of their rage has been destroyed. A
person in rage may also experience tunnel vision, muffled hearing, increased heart rate, and
hyperventilation. Their vision may also become "rose-tinted" (hence "seeing red"). They often
focus only on the source of their anger. The large amounts of adrenaline and oxygen in the
bloodstream may cause a person's extremities to shake. Psychiatrists consider rage to be at one end
of the spectrum of anger, and annoyance to be at the other side.[3]

In 1995, rage was hypothesized to occur when oxytocin, vasopressin, and corticotropin-releasing
hormone are rapidly released from the hypothalamus. This results in the pituitary gland producing
and releasing large amounts of the adrenocorticotropic hormone, which causes the adrenal cortex to
release corticosteroids. This chain reaction occurs when faced with a threatening situation.[4]
Nearly two decades later, more came to be known about the impacts of high epinephrine. As the
focus in neuroscience began to shift towards the roles of white matter tissues, a more full bodied
understanding of this complex emotion was able to be extrapolated.

Memory, being the retention of perceptions, can be viewed as a giant mosaic (Robertson, 2002).
This mosaic would consist of fragmented perceptions (tiles) being held together by astrocytes
(glue), creating resistance. A ratio of 3:2 could indicate an increased demand on neurons being held
together, or insulated. This also raises the possibility that a more developed memory improved an
individuals fitness.

In addition, an increase in white matter tissues assisted in an individual's ability to adapt to new
cultures and environments. The metaphor of a kaleidoscope is often utilized when expressing the
extraordinary ability humans have at adapting to different cultures by engaging in different patterns
of thought. Our ability to perceive patterns of behavior assists in our ability to utilize inductive
reasoning, a type of reasoning that can assist in an individual's ability to think of how their

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behaviors may impact their future. Such lines of reasoning are strengthened through the use of
deductive reasoning. Together, inductive and deductive reasoning have assisted in developing
adaptive conflict management strategies that assist in the cessation of rage caused by cognitive
dissonance.

Astrocytes play a pivotal role in regulating blood flow to and from neurons by creating the
blood-brain barrier (BBB).[5] More specifically, these astrocytes are found in close proximity to the
end feet of blood vessels. These astrocytes aid in the tightening and expansion of the blood
vessels to regulate which nutrients make their way to the neurons.[6] The BBB protects the brain
from toxins and helps transport things such as oxygen and glucose to the brain.

This system plays a crucial role in the regulation of memory. Studies have suggested that glucose,
together with epinephrine from the adrenal medulla have an effect on memory. Although high doses
of epinephrine have been proven to impair memory, moderate doses of epinephrine actually
enhance memory.[7] This leads to questioning the role that epinephrine has played on the evolution
of the genus Homo as well as epinephrine's crucial role during fits of rage. The crucial role that
astrocytes play in the formation of muscle memory may also shed light on the beneficial impact of
meditation and deep breathing as a method of managing and controlling one's rage.

Health complications
Some research suggests that an individual is more susceptible to having feelings of depression and
anxiety if he or she experiences rage on a frequent basis. Health complications become much worse
if an individual represses feelings of rage.[8] John E. Sarno believes that repressed rage in the
subconscious leads to physical ailments. Cardiac stress and hypertension are other health
complications that will occur when rage is experienced on a regular basis. Psychopathologies such
as depression and[9] Posttraumatic stress disorder regularly present comorbidly with rage.[10]

Treatment
Types of therapy

Evidence has shown that behavioral and cognitive therapy techniques have assisted individuals that
have difficulties controlling their anger or rage. Role playing and personal study are the two main
techniques used to aid individuals with managing rage. Role playing is utilized by angering an
individual to the point of rage and then showing them how to control it.[11] Multi-modal cognitive
therapy is another treatment used to help individuals cope with anger. This therapy teaches
individuals relaxation techniques, problem solving skills, and techniques on response disruption.
This type of therapy has proven to be effective for individuals that are highly stressed and are prone
to rage.[12]

Psychology

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According to psychologists, rage is an in-born behavior that every person exhibits in some form.
Rage is often used to denote hostile/affective/reactive aggression.[13] Rage tends to be expressed
when a person faces a threat to their pride, position, ability to deceive others, self-deceptive beliefs,
or socioeconomic status.[14] This maladaptive conflict management strategy often stems from
cognitive dissonance, most simply put, a 'no' where a 'yes' has been.

Cases in which rage is exhibited as a direct response to an individual's deeply held religious beliefs,
may directly be related to cognitive dissonance in relation to an individual's ability to manage the
terror associated with death and dying. Many researchers have questioned whether Buddhist
concepts, such as reincarnation and nibbna, help ease death anxieties. Coleman and Ka-Ying Hui
(2012) stated that according to the Terror Management Theory, a religious concept of an afterlife
helps people manage their personal death anxiety (949). This suggests that rage, in relation to
religious ideas, may stem from an inability to manage feelings of terror.

Some psychologists, however, such as Bushman and Anderson, argue that the hostile/predatory
dichotomy that is commonly employed in psychology fails to define rage fully, since it is possible
for anger to motivate aggression, provoking vengeful behavior, without incorporating the impulsive
thinking that is characteristic of rage. They point to individuals or groups such as Seung-Hui Cho in
the Virginia Tech massacre or Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold of the Columbine High School
massacre, all of whom clearly experienced intense anger and hate, but whose planning (sometimes
over periods of years), forethought, and lack of impulsive behavior is readily observable.[15]

See also
Abuse Mouse rage
Achilles Narcissistic rage
Air rage Road rage
Berserker Running amok
Bike rage Tantrum
Computer rage Trolley rage
Lawsuit Wrap rage

References
1. "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary". 9. Levin, Andrew P. "DSM-5 and Posttraumatic
2. Eagleman, et al., 2007 Stress Disorder" (PDF).
3. DiGiuseppe & Tafrate., 2006. 10. Painuly et al., 2005
4. Jezova et al., 1995; Sapolsky, 1992. 11. Willner et al., 2002; Lishman et al., 2008.
5. (Lundgaard I et al., 2013) 12. Gerzina & Drummond, 2000.
6. (Frank 2013) 13. Fontaine, 2007
7. (Gold, 2013) 14. Anderson, 2001.
8. Begley, 1994. 15. DiGiuseppe & Tafrate, 2006.

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Gold, P. E. Regulation of memory From the adrenal medulla to liver to astrocytes to neurons.
Brain Res. Bull. 2014|doi=10.1016/j.brainresbull.2013.12.012}}

Frank, M. G.|year=(2013). Astroglial regulation of sleep homeostasis.Current Opinion in

Neurobiology, 23:812-818.

Lundgaard I et al. White matter astrocytes in health and disease. Neuroscience. (2013),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2013.10.050

Coleman P. G. and Ka-Ying Hui, V. (2012). Do reincarnation beliefs protect older adult Chinese
Buddhists against personal death anxieties? Death Studies. 36:949-958

External links
Media related to Rage (emotion) at Wikimedia Commons

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Categories: Rage Emotions

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