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Readiness for anger management: clinical and theoretical issues
1School of Psychology, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5067, Australia. kevin.howells@unisa.edu.au
Clinical Psychology Review
|February 8, 2003
Summary
Effective anger management, a key part of cognitive behavioral therapy, faces challenges. Addressing treatment readiness is crucial for future success in anger control interventions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Behavioral Therapy
Background:
- Anger management is a common and successful component of contemporary cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- Existing reviews broadly support the effectiveness of anger management interventions.
- However, a critical factor for sustained success has been under-addressed: treatment readiness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight treatment readiness as a significant impediment to the future success of anger management.
- To explore the unique characteristics of anger that elevate the importance of readiness compared to other emotional issues.
- To discuss theoretical models of readiness and its clinical implications.
Main Methods:
- Review of theoretical models of treatment readiness.
- Analysis of components contributing to a lack of readiness, including therapeutic alliance difficulties.
- Discussion of the unique features of anger impacting readiness.
Main Results:
- Treatment readiness is a critical, yet often overlooked, factor in the efficacy of anger management.
- Specific features of anger make readiness a more salient issue than for other emotional problems.
- Lack of readiness can manifest as difficulties in forming a therapeutic alliance.
Conclusions:
- Future progress in anger management necessitates a greater focus on measuring and analyzing treatment readiness.
- Readiness should be incorporated as an independent variable in outcome studies.
- Clinical strategies are needed to address and modify low treatment readiness for improved intervention outcomes.