Difference Between Anger and Rage (With Table)

Emotions are human feelings that change their behavior towards someone or something. Anger is one type of human emotion that is often faced by everyone in daily life. However, the level of intensity of anger has a different impact on oneself and his relationships. Anger and rage are different terms used to define the level of intensity of anger.

Anger vs Rage

The main difference between anger and rage is the anger is a human emotion that comes as a reaction to an uncomfortable situation like fear, frustration, rejection, hurt, and others. On the other hand, rage is a type of anger in which a person fails to control his behavior or becomes more aggressive.

Anger is a very important emotion of human that either benefits or destroy a person life or his relationship depending on the intensity level. Anger is a reaction to awkward situations like hurt, fear, or threat. When a person faces anger, then his total body and mind experience a change.

Rage is a high level of anger that controls a person and makes the situation worse or awkward. Rage decreases the power of the prefrontal cortex of the brain that helps a person to make decisions.  A person in rage forgets about the surroundings and hurts others with his uncontrollable behavior.

Comparison Table Between Anger and Rage

Parameters of Comparison

Anger

Rage  

Definition

Anger is a response to awkward situations like hurt, frustrations, shyness, fear, and anxiety.

Rage is a high level of anger in awkward situations like threat, fear, shame, and frustration.

Characteristics

  A quick response either politely or harshly to the things that are going wrong in surroundings.

Violent, aggressive

Nature

  The negative emotion that may or may not be healthy.

It is a destructive or unhealthy emotion.

Positive Impact

  It helps to overcome the fear of something or someone, stop someone from doing wrong, and create awareness about something, increases thinking power, and so on.

It does not have any positive impact.

Negative Consequences

  Stress, blood pressure increases, depression, and other health issues

  Leads to bloodshed destroy reputation and relationship and reduce cognitive and thinking power.

What is Anger?

Anger is a powerful tool that is built-in humans helps to survive and respond to uncomfortable situations. Anger arose when the personal limits are demolished. A person who experiences anger also experiences changes in the body systems such as blood pressure increases, heartbeat rate increases, become sad or hurt. Anger is recognized by facial expressions, change in body language, change in sound, and attitude. Different people have different ways to control their anger and shows different expressions of anger such as: 

  • Aggressive anger in which the person uses hurtful language threatens to raise his voice and goes legally to demolish others.
  • Passive-aggressive anger in which the person intends to hurt others without knowing the actual matter. This person will fail to act properly and deny the truth when confronted.
  • Silent anger in which the person does not confront or leave the issue without solving it. When the person comes to confront the situation becomes worse.
  • Suppressed anger in which the person denies the anger due to fear, punishment, and loss of control.
  • Self-direct anger in which the person blames himself or punishes himself leads to depression.

Anger is a powerful emotion, and it has to be used carefully to make good changes in the surrounding. Anger can be controlled by restraining ourselves from speaking, taking time to communicate on the issue, or leaving the place. 

What is Rage?

Rage is a higher degree of anger that makes humans an animal. A person with rage losses control over his behavior, talks disrespectfully with others, even harms persons physically. Most of the time, rage also makes a person harm him by committing suicide.  The behavior of the person becomes destructive and violent.

Rage is developed in a person when he is restricted to enjoy his freedom, given too much freedom that he feels superior to everyone, unable to handle problems and thinks that only he is suffering from such situations, spending time with wrong people, and so on. The person with rage forgets about the surroundings, cognitive power becomes low, because of which he takes the extreme step.

Rage is unhealthy anger that results in loss of reputation, career, effects on relationships, and mental health. Rage is a dangerous disease that does not have any medicine unless the persons want to overcome it.   A person has to think positively and be calm in an uncomfortable situation to overcome rage.  It takes a lot of time for a person to overcome anger and rage. Rage and anger will give rise to feelings like jealousy, hatred, competition, possessiveness, sadism, and contempt.

Main Differences Between Anger and Rage

  1. Anger is either a constructive or destructive emotion that comes in response to fear, anxiety, threat, or hurt. On the other hand, Rage is destructive anger that comes due to frustration, hurt, or anger.
  2. Anger lasts either for a short or long time and has an impact on the mindset of a person. Rage is uncontrollable and results in violence.
  3. The intensity of anger is from low to high, but the intensity of rage is very high.
  4. Anger can be controlled by practicing anger management steps, but rage cannot be controlled if the intensity is very high.
  5. Anger helps to overcome fear, increases thinking power, creates awareness. Rage impacts the relationships, career, mental health, and reputation of a person. 

 Conclusion

Anger is an intense sentiment or feeling that comes as a response to frustrations, hurt, and fear. It has to be used properly to have a positive impact on oneself or someone who is around. A person has to express anger properly suppressing it will lead the people to enter a rage. A rage is uncontrollable emotions that hurt personal live and professional lives. The best method to overcome anger and rage is to be silent.

References

  1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328065633_ANGER_ITS_IMPACT_ON_HUMAN_BODY
  2. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Overcoming_Destructive_Anger/47X1CwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=anger+and+rage+emotion&printsec=frontcover