The Function of Road Rage
Posted by Dr. Matthew Calkins, Psy.D.
Monday, April 14 2008
The traffic in Los Angeles is a problem that won't go away any time soon, and seems to get worse each year. Undeniably, traffic is a frustration. For some, frustration quickly shifts into anger, and even rage. As an experience, rage is unaware of limits and feeds off itself. Behind the weight and speed of a car, road rage can become deadly.
How is it that certain people become vulnerable to road rage experiences? The anonymity of the freeway, in which people follow a line and are separated by glass, metal and concrete provides some with a kind of safety to experience anger.
More or less, we live in a culture that often labels anger and conflict as problems. We strive to get along and not 'rock the boat.' However, how does one work with feelings of anger when they are present? Given that anger is as human a feeling as sorrow, the dilemma faced by the angry person is clear. For people who grew up in environments that did not acknowledge or respect the value of disagreement, the freeway is a perfect opportunity to feel anger without shame or fear. The problem is...its extremely dangerous.
So how often have you worked through the day to avoid conflict with those around you, and then found yourself incredibly angry in the depersonalized world of the freeways? Perhaps finding a place to vent these feelings that doesn't put you and others at risk would be worth looking into.