Anger, as is usually said, is a secondary emotion. Which is the reason why and other anger management help usually attempt to identify the primary emotion behind anger, in an effort to find a resolution to the anger issue at hand.
In other words, the cause of anger can almost always be drilled down to another emotional trigger - like frustration, disappointment, bitterness, jealousy, resentment or insecurity, to name a few.
These triggers usually arise because of ONE reason: Expectations not met. It can be expectations you set for yourself, those you set for others, or even expectations others set for you that you feel should be met.
If these expectations are not met, the disappointment and frustration in not meeting these expectations sometimes leads us into the anger zone.
For instance, if you perceive an insult in someone's words, you may find their behavior is not in line with your expectation of being respected by the next person. And chances are, that makes you angry.
Many times people that are insecure with themselves tend to tie everything others say or do to their self esteem, and perceive a disrespect in harmless statements or actions of others, thereby easily getting upset or reacting angrily at them.
And if you choose to outwardly express your fury directly on every person or circumstance that acts as an external trigger, you may be labeled a social misfit, or diagnosed with a disorder, or worse, have legal ramifications tailing you, depending on your actions.
They direct it at someone else or situation, which they perceive as a more socially acceptable outlet.
Upset with the boss? Turn down the subordinate's leave request. Irritated at the not so polite customer? Carry that irritation home, and get sarcastic with the spouse who didn't fix the dinner just right.
Annoyed at the practical joke played by a friend? Yell at the kids for playing loudly in the garden. While this may work better than suppressing it, which results in increased stress within your body, there are better ways to express our anger.