Does anger treatment reduce aggressive behaviour?

Anger and aggression are seen as interdependent aspects of human experience, standing in a narrow interrelation. Therefore, one often finds psychological anger intervention programs with the explicit purpose of directly or indirectly changing aggressive behavior. Furthermore, there is a multiplicity of trainings for the reduction of aggression in which the intention is to reduce aggression by changing the experience or regulation of anger. Some researchers place importance on the proximity and potential overlapping variance of these constructs when expanding theoretical models regarding anger and aggression. On the other hand, some investigators allude to evident differences in the experience and expression of anger and aggression, from which diverse paths to establish changes in these different constructs would be expected. Therefore, a basic question stemming from these different findings and approaches is whether anger treatment necessarily reduces aggressive behavior. As a first step towards answering this question, the notions of anger and aggression will be defined and differentiated in this review. Furthermore, the theoretical relationship between these two concepts will be thoroughly investigated. We will subsequently highlight different approaches for modifying anger processes on the one hand and aggressive behavior on the other. With reference to findings of comparative and meta-analytic studies, the specific effectiveness of intervention programs regarding anger is characterized. A summary of specific indication criteria and target groups also is presented. This article will then be concluded with a summary of principles for anger treatments that should be considered for reduction of aggressive behavior.