Unit 1: Social Skills

Lesson 2: Anger Management

Topic 1: Identify Feelings

*Note: Anger that leads to physical violence is serious and needs appropriate intervention. An individual who exhibits behaviors that can lead to harm of another or property damage needs psychological services from a professional trained in anger management. This lesson can be used for those individuals whose anger management issues cause them problems (i.e., loss of a job) but do not cause significant harm to themselves or those around them.

OBJECTIVES

1. Identify at least three feelings or emotions.

2. Identify the difference between negative ("bad") emotions and negative behavior.

MATERIALS
Feelings chart with pictures of different facial expressions – if needed

marker board or something to write on

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES
Social Skills Development: Practical Strategies for Adolescents and Adults with Developmental Disabilities – a book by Stephen Antonello. It can be purchased from Any Psych Book (1800 210-7323) for $47.95. Check local book stores as well.

The Feelings Chart Set – A $19.95 training tool for labeling feelings by PCI Educational Publishing (1800 594-4263). Highly recommended for students who have cognitive disabilities.

INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
This topic will be discussion-based in which the student will learn about feelings and behaviors. The important point to stress is that all feelings are OK, but negative behaviors as a result of those feelings are not.

1. Identify different types of feelings or emotions. Make a list of as many emotions as possible. Use pictures if students need a visual representation of feelings. Leader and participants can also act out different emotions.
   
   

2. Identify different situations in which people feel common emotions such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and excitement. Have the participants describe how they behave in those situations.
   
   

3. Differentiate between the feelings of anger and the behaviors of anger. Ask if there are any "bad" emotions. Stress throughout the lesson that anger, sadness, etc. are not bad. "It is OK to be angry, but it is not OK to hit, call people names, or yell at people." Spend time discussing and using examples that differentiate bad behavior from "bad" emotions. Have participants provide examples from their own lives.
   

SIGNS OF GENERALIZATION
Students should be able to correctly identify their emotions and the emotions of those around them the majority of the time. Look for statements such as "He is laughing, he must be happy," "My grandmother died, I am sad," and "She just lost her job, she is probably angry." Trainers can test people by having them observe others and label their feelings or ask how they are feeling after different events in their life.

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