A test to measure the awareness and expression of anger

The purpose of this project was to develop a reliable, objective and practical tool with which the awareness and expression of anger could be investigated. This paper gives a description of the Awareness and Expression of Anger Indicator (AEAI). The AEAI is a short and easy to use test. It provides a new objective assessment instrument of value in cases where deficits in affective processes, particularly anger, are suspected. 30 medical patients were tested with the AEAI. The investigators report a high inter-rater reliability in scoring the test. Four distinct response patterns emerged. Also, when confronted with the same anger-provoking stimulus, subjects responded significantly differently with respect to whether or not they felt angry, depending on the type of question. Traditional inducing questions, e.g.: Would you feel angry?, produced significantly more affirmative responses (reports of feeling angry) than non-inducing questions, e.g.: How would you feel? The contribution of the AEAI to chronic pain work is discussed.