Troubled Teen Issues

Teen anger from troubled teens may show as temper tantrums or even violence. Keep reading for info on why teens get angry, how they express teen anger, and anger danger signs. Teen anger must be dealt with by the teen and their families, learn more here.

Teen anger can be a brief-lived manifestation of hormones, a deep-seated hold-over from a long-ago incident, or many other things. This article takes a look at some of  what we know about teen anger.

Passing Teen Anger

Teens can be moody, and during their moods, they may say things that manifest teen anger: nasty things, sarcastic things, biting things, hurtful things. They may act out and throw things. And they may revert to reasonable facsimile of the child you’ve known and loved since birth shortly thereafter. If your teen is not angry in general or for long periods at a time, and if he or she is expressing the teen anger and getting over it, it may be the kind of thing you can let pass.

As your teen establishes his or her own identity, it is likely that there are times that he or she is not going to agree with your guidance, rules, suggestions, or observations. In learning to assert his or her own opinion, s/he may go too far, displaying teen anger. Sometimes it’s worth overlooking the tone and simply noting that there’s a disagreement or that your teen has made a valid point.

Reasons for Teen Anger

Sometimes teens have valid reasons for being angry. The reason may be difficult or impossible for them to explain however. This could happen if the cause of your teen’s anger is from something like:

• abuse - current or in the past
• bullying - current or in the past
• gossip that has damaged the teen’s reputation
• teen depression
• anxiety
• grief
• teen substance abuse
• some emotional or other trauma

Grief, in this context, could include the death of a loved one, but also the perceived “loss” of a parent through a divorce that has reduced time spent together.

Expressions of Teen Anger

It’s important for your teen to know that all people become angry, and that there are safe ways to express anger. Help them to understand the valid role of anger in urging us to seek action and justice and the danger of anger that has no containment. Demonstrate how teen anger can be queried, identifying it’s cause, how it makes one feel, what it makes one want to do, and, with this information in mind, deciding what one will actually choose to do. Modeling fruitful responses to teen anger is also helpful. If you can think of a time that you were angry with, say, your boss, and took it out on the family, get over your embarrassment and use it as an example of how anger can get beyond the boundaries we’d like it to have and infect other areas of life in a way that’s unproductive and unfair.

If your teen’s anger is scary, find a kind way to let him or her know: s/he may not be aware that little sister is hiding in terror under the bed and would be mortified to think of causing that type of reaction by their teen anger. Suggest actions to do and words to say that you find helpful when you’re angry and that your teen may also find soothing in dealing with his/her teen anger.

Teen Anger Danger Signs

Teen anger should not be passed off as the result of a “teenage mood” in all cases. Here are some of the signs that there is something else at work and that the issue needs addressing:

• Your formerly social teen becomes angry, withdrawn, lonely, and uncommunicative.
• Your teen becomes involved in ongoing negativity that hurts others.
• Your teen acts out his or her anger in a violent way or hurts another person intentionally.
• Your teen acts in any way that you find personally scary or threatening.
• Your teen acquires a weapon.

Bottom Line on Teen Anger

If you suspect that your child has an untold reason for substantial teen anger or has ongoing anger or serious anger for a reason that you do not understand, seek professional advice. You can start with his or her pediatrician and school counselor, two people who have your teen’s interests at heart and look at him or her from different positions, and so may see different things. They will be able to help you determine the best course of action for teen anger management.

Sources

psychcentral.com