Causes And Control Of Temper Tantrums

Tantrums are the most visible expressions of frustration. They can be a real problem when there are other people around you because they cause pain to those who experience these attacks and those close to them.

Anyone can experience anger. It is an innate universal emotion, one of the six basic emotions, as stated by psychologist Paul Ekman.

The problem arises when people feel anger intensely and the way they channel it makes them lose control. Let’s take a look at what tantrums are about and some strategies to better manage them.

tantrums

These are episodes of anger in which people react disproportionately to the anger they experience. The main features are:

• A sudden start.
• Loss of impulse control.
• A violent expression of emotions.

In addition, this violence can be verbal (yelling and insulting) or physical (breaking things or hitting people).

Tantrums are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as an intermittent explosive condition. The following symptoms must be present to meet the diagnostic criteria:

• Recurrent behavioral outbursts manifest as a lack of aggressive impulse control that includes both verbal and physical aggression toward objects or creatures.
• The response is quite disproportionate.
• Tantrums are not premeditated.
• The outbursts cause significant distress to the individual and affect his or her job performance, relationships with others, or there is some sort of legal or financial consequence.

• The person in question is older than six years.

Recurrent tantrums are not a result of another mental disorder. They cannot be attributed to any other medical condition and are not the result of substance abuse.

Causes of Anger Attacks

According to the DSM-V, people who have experienced emotional trauma during childhood or adolescence are more at risk for tantrums.

Intermittent explosive disorder is also more common in first-degree relatives of people who experience tantrums. For example, studies with twins have shown a clear influence of genetics on the first manifestation of the condition.

Let’s not forget that disproportionate displays of anger are present in many mental disorders, such as schizophrenia or depression ( Muscatello y Scudellari 2000 , cited in Painuly et al 2005 – Spanish link).

It can also occur in various types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease, certain personality disorders, and in situations related to substance use, such as withdrawal syndrome.

Why are some people so explosive?

In addition to the above causes, the common denominator of all temper tantrums is that the person experiencing them perceives the situation as humiliating. They really feel an attack on themselves or their loved ones and react disproportionately as a result.

The stressor that triggers it can be something that offends their ideology, values, actions, work, family, or even their favorite team. Someone who experiences something as a seizure and is going through a rough time is likely to have a tantrum at any time.

Strategies to Control Tantrums

People who exhibit recurrent explosive disorder are not condemned to experience it permanently. Psychology offers many tools that can help control impulses. Some of the most common are:

• Practicing meditation and mindfulness can help to distance yourself from the most distorted thoughts.
• Relaxation techniques and aids such as Jacobson’s Progressive Relaxation Technique can be effective for the individual to better cope with all the physiological aspects that are activated during a tantrum.

• Physical activity significantly helps to reduce stress and increases levels of transmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which promote emotional well-being.
• Social skills training, such as improving assertiveness, is one of the most effective strategies and will allow for better communication in situations where a tantrum may occur.
• Distorted thoughts are in many cases the main trigger that triggers the explosive response. Learning to recognize and replace them with more functional thoughts can thus be a major life change.
• People with temper tantrums can’t control their emotions well, so another fundamental key to increasing their well-being is to engage in a self-knowledge process. A process in which the person in question learns to recognize, accept and let go of his emotions.

Ask for help if you don’t know how to control your emotions

Tantrums are not easy to control, especially in the beginning. As a result, people feel that this is the only way to express their anger. They explode like a pressure cooker no matter how hard they try to control themselves.

This causes a lot of frustration in the person in question and, in most cases, deep regret afterwards. This is because no one likes to lose control of themselves.

So don’t hesitate to consult a mental health professional if you or someone close to you can’t control their anger. As we mentioned above, it is possible to deal with anger more efficiently.