Few issues elicit near-unanimous agreement from both the political left and right. The virtually universal opinion that political anger permeates our country is one such issue. However, that shared view vanishes like a mirage upon inspection.
A Gallup report in December found 93% of Republicans believe Democrats have gone too far with angry rhetoric. A corresponding 94% of Democrats found Republican rhetoric too inflammatory. Only small minorities consider the speech within their own party objectionable.
How to live in an ecosystem filled with political anger? A starting point is to recognize that anger is not an emotion necessary, or even possible, to avoid. As the environmentalist Edward Abbey is often quoted as having said, “The [person] who is angered by nothing cares about nothing.”
At the same time, many Americans may feel genuinely troubled by their own anger in reaction to current politics. Some to the point where they view it as adversely affecting interactions with family or friends. Although the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5-TR) specifies diagnoses for emotionally distressing depression and anxiety, there is no diagnosis for distressing anger.
For those disturbed by angry feelings, both western science and eastern philosophies extend much the same guidance for relieving distress. A 2024 article published in Clinical Psychology Review provides a meta-analysis of over 150 anger management studies, finding physically intense actions to vent anger had no beneficial outcome. Participants found methods aimed at self-calming to be helpful, setting the stage for less impulsive, more appropriate responses to anger.
Similarly, eastern philosophies advise that angry moods should prompt initial effort at accepting, examining and understanding the emotional experience in itself. Perhaps no one better exemplified that than the late Vietnamese Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh. Coming to the United States in 1966, he advocated for enduring peace in Southeast Asia, causing him to be viewed as a threat by both North and South Vietnam governments that prohibited return to his homeland for 39 years. During that exile, his monasteries were ransacked and his followers assaulted. Yet his relentless condemnation of political hatred and violence prompted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whom he befriended, to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Given his background, it is unsurprising Thich Nhat Hanh wrote extensively about anger. He often said anger is best responded to as a loving parent reacts to a crying infant, by seeking to comfort the child and identify the cause of distress. Once the source of anger is properly understood, then appropriate action can be undertaken to remedy its cause. His deceptively simple approach for dealing with anger and other emotions through mindfulness practice has generated a worldwide community of eleven monasteries and over 1,000 practice groups adhering to principles of what he coined “engaged Buddhism.” Monastics of Thich Nhat Hahn’s Plum Village tradition will conduct a Day of Mindfulness in Chattanooga on April 25.
Once examined, anger can be appropriately used to motivate and best guide behavioral action. In 2008, social scientists published seminal research finding that nonviolent strategies are more effective than violent methods in bringing political change, since verified in multiple confirmation studies. One historical example of channeling political anger into effective nonviolent action was the massive 1963 March on Washington, widely recognized as a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement. A November Gallup report found 80% of Americans agree that peaceful protest is appropriate as a means to express political dissent, with only 5% disagreeing.
Currently, we are living in the midst of another nonviolent mass movement.
The No Kings protests have provided venues for millions of Americans to peacefully convey political anger at Trump administration policies. On March 28, a No Kings event is scheduled in Chattanooga at Ross’s Landing from 1 to 3 p.m. I hope to see you there.
Patrick Lavin, of Hixson, is a retired clinical psychologist. He received a PhD from the University of Georgia and was certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Editor’s note: This column was updated to correct the date of the Day of Mindfulness in Chattanooga.