Anger

("Stress"-5)

_________________________

Function of Anger

Fear is an emotion we use to cope with danger.

For example: when faced with the threat of being killed, when danger threatens our physical existence , fear will help keep our body (our Level- A) alive. [1] ).

It should trigger a well-known reaction: flight or attack [2] .

We share this reaction with animals, but it is more complex in humans.

Fear has both a biological dimension (Level- A ), shared with the animal world, and a psychological dimension (our Level- C). [1] ) specific to humans.

The latter will have a more complex reaction that can "prevent" or "transform" the natural flight-attack response.

This is due, in humans, to the existence and influence of their Psyche (Level- C ), their Life in Society (our Level- G [1] ), their Cultural Life (our U- Level [1] )

A useful reaction to the 4 Levels A, C, G and U of a Person

Just like for a physical threat:

• Faced with strong emotional trauma, when it threatens our Psychic existence , fear will help keep our Psyche alive (Level- C ).

• Faced with an existential, societal and/or community threat , when it threatens our Social and/or Cultural existence , fear will contribute to keeping our Social and/or Cultural identity alive (Level G and/or Niv- U ).

Physiological mechanisms (at Level-A)

When faced with a perceived threat, the amygdala (limbic system) triggers a chain reaction. The adrenal glands release primarily adrenaline . [3] and the brain mainly noradrenaline [ 4] . These two hormones and neurotransmitters participate in the acceleration of the heart rate and prepare the body to flee or attack.

Attacking requires more sugar to be delivered to the fighting muscles. The red color of the blood shows through.

Fleeing requires an input of energy, but less than fighting, just enough to flee. Blood drains from the rest, which cools. We turn pale. We tremble to warm the chilled body.

Inhibition of action: a third reaction

Henri Laborit [5] enriched this model by introducing a third possible response, other than flight-attack, in the face of threat: inhibition of action.

When an individual can neither flee nor attack, they find themselves in a state of "paralysis," an inability to act that leads to profound psychological and physiological consequences (chronic stress, various pathologies). They resemble a rabbit frozen at night, dazzled by the headlights of a car. A non-resolving reaction, non-protective of life, almost suicidal and, in humans, almost neurotic.

Anguish

We will consider anxiety as a feeling associated with the emotion Fear. To understand the difference between anxiety and fear, between a feeling and an emotion, let us imagine entering a forest where, we are told, there is a wild animal. Throughout our journey we will be anxious . A feeling that can last a long time. But the moment we are faced with the wild animal we will be afraid . A brutal emotion , short-lived, with all the physiological consequences, flight, or attack, or paralysis.

And then what?

We have just begun to get to know the first of the four key emotions (fear, anger, grief, joy).

What will we discuss next? We will look at the fate of each key emotion that has been "charged," and the different ways, "in growth" and "in survival," of "discharging" the stress caused.

But before that, let's continue to get to know the other three key emotions, as we just did with Fear.

Let's imagine we have a pressure cooker for each of the four key emotions (fear, anger, grief, joy). The "Fear" pressure cooker

C

An emotion triggered to quickly mobilize resources to cope with danger or a physical challenge, which is why adrenaline is called the "stress hormone" or "emergency hormone." It mobilizes energy for a rapid reaction. An emotion that serves the individual's survival, first and foremost.

“I think a lot of people use resilience as a way to motivate themselves to do more, to be more… and it starts to feel a lot like performance and less like actual growth,” therapist Meghan Watson tells HuffPost.

[1] )

Fear

the mother of all emotions

Ex: anxiety shaped by fear but also, we say, by sadness or loss of control or imminent danger, real or anticipated. In fact, by the fear of being afraid, the fear of the consequences of expressing one's anger, the fear of pain, of loss, of disappointment, of having misplaced one's trust, the fear of fusion, of connection, of joy.

1. Fear

• Biological mechanisms :

  • Theamygdala (limbic system) triggers a chain reaction in the face of a perceived threat 1 6 .

  • Release ofadrenaline andnoradrenaline from the adrenal glands, accelerating the heart rate and preparing the body to flee or fight 4 5 .

• Scalable function :

  • Alert to danger, optimizing survival by mobilizing energy for rapid reaction 2 11 .

2. Anger

• Biological mechanisms :

  • Activation of theamygdala andprefrontal cortex , with secretion ofnoradrenaline (increased muscle tension and energy) 8 9 .

  • Increased blood flow to the muscles, lending to action 3 7 .

• Scalable function :

  • Defense against threats or injustices, allowing the reestablishment of limits or social status 2 10 .

3. Sadness (sorrow)

• Biological mechanisms :

  • Decrease inserotonin (linked to well-being) and increase in cortisol (stress hormone), leading to a drop in energy 8 3 .

  • Activation of theanterior cingulate cortex , associated with emotional pain 9 .

• Scalable function :

  • Reflection andappeal to social support , promoting adaptation after loss or failure 2 7 .

4. Joy

• Biological mechanisms :

  • Activation of thereward circuit (nucleus accumbens) viadopamine , creating a feeling of pleasure 5 9 .

  • Release ofendorphins and oxytocin, reducing stress and strengthening social bonds 3 5 .

• Scalable function :

  • Reinforcement of beneficial behaviors (e.g., cooperation, reproduction) and consolidation of social relationships 2 11 .

These mechanisms reflect anevolutionary optimization : each emotion activates specific bodily and neurochemical responses to meet environmental challenges (survival, social cohesion, adaptation)

If the meeting had been short enough to still feel your anger at the end, perhaps you would have used the "vent" spontaneously with a trusted person along the way.

Our experience has shown us that with good information about emotions and the "common sense" that comes from them, it has helped many at-risk people to move away from the "exhaustion" stage of stress], the stage of depression or burnout.

It seems to us that the words used for the three stages have a deeper meaning than at first level.

Let's take a trivial example.

fear, the mother of all emotions

anxiety the mother of all feelings

never let a feeling flourish without finding meaning in it

never leave a charged emotion without discharging it.

When you have processed your emotions and feelings, you will have done the bulk of the work, you will have emptied your pressure cookers sufficiently and recovered some margin for life.

Don't hoard, don't inhibit yourself, let life react, adapt, SPEAK to begin with,

DEFER is our human strength, DEFER is our trap.

What Seyle calls "adaptation energy" is the immobilized energy to be kept away in the INSU.

post-traumatic stress

Deferring an advantage and a trap

_________________________

We welcome your comments and questions about this series "Stress" (S405)! Click the "Leave a Review" button below.

_________________________

Click on the "Next" button to go to

The Next Episode: Anger .

_________________________

References

[1] See the series , an introduction to the Model-2L, on the Matrix-2L .

[2] Walter Bradford Cannon , The Wisdom of the Body , 1932, WW Norton & Company. The concept of flight or fight has its origins in the work of this physiologist.

[3] Adrenaline : a hormone and neurotransmitter, produced mainly by the adrenal glands, released into the body during situations of stress, fear or intense effort, to prepare the body to react quickly, causes: Acceleration of the heart rate / Increase in blood pressure / Dilation of the bronchi and pupils / Release of energy (increase in blood sugar level) / Temporary inhibition of digestion.

[4] Noradrenaline : A hormone and neurotransmitter, it belongs to the catecholamine family, like adrenaline and dopamine. It is produced primarily in the brain and by the nerve fibers of the sympathetic nervous system, but also in smaller quantities by the adrenal glands. Like adrenaline, it is involved in the "fight or flight" response, but noradrenaline is more involved in the fine regulation of alertness, wakefulness, attention, memory, and emotions. It causes vasoconstriction (reduction in the diameter of blood vessels), increases heart rate, the force of contraction of the heart, and the release of glucose into the blood.

[5] Henri Laborit : French physician and neurobiologist. " The Inhibition of Action ", Masson, 1979, and " In Praise of Flight ", Robert Laffont, 1976.

[2] See the Model-2L initiation series on the 4 RTIV Stages

[[4] See the 2L Model introductory series on Growth and Survival

[5] See the Model-2L introductory series on INSU

Adrenaline (or epinephrine) is a hormone and neurotransmitter producedprimarily by the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys 1 2 3 . It is released into the body during situations of stress, fear, or intense exertion, to prepare the body to react quickly - this is the famous "fight or flight" response 1 4 5 .

On a physiological level, adrenaline causes:

• Increased heart rate

• Increased blood pressure

• Dilation of the bronchi and pupils

• Energy release (increase in blood sugar level)

• Temporary inhibition of digestion 1 2 5

These effects allow the body to quickly mobilize its resources to deal with danger or a physical challenge, which is why adrenaline is called the "stress hormone" or "emergency hormone."

Noradrenaline (or norepinephrine) is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter, belonging to the catecholamine family like adrenaline and dopamine 1 2 6 . It is mainly produced in the brain (notably by the locus coeruleus) and by the nerve fibers of the sympathetic nervous system, but also in smaller quantities by the adrenal glands 1 5 6 .

Main roles:

• Stress response : Norepinephrine prepares the body to respond to danger or stress by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, alertness, and attention 2 5 7 .

• Action on organs : It causes vasoconstriction (reduction in the diameter of blood vessels), increases heart rate, the force of contraction of the heart and the release of glucose into the blood 2 6 .

• Brain functions : In the brain, it is involved in the regulation of alertness, wakefulness, attention, memory and emotions 1 4 6 .

Difference with adrenaline:

• Adrenaline acts primarily as a circulating hormone in the blood, while noradrenaline acts primarily as a neurotransmitter at nerve synapses, although it can also have a hormonal effect 1 2 5 .

• Both are involved in the "fight or flight" response, but noradrenaline is more involved in the fine regulation of alertness, attention, and cognitive functions 4 6 .

In summary, norepinephrine is essential for the body's rapid adaptation to stress and for the regulation of many physiological and mental functions.