Effectiveness of negative‐thought‐reduction, meditation, and placebo training treatment in reducing anger

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Abstract
Twenty‐nine highly angry subjects who obtained high scores on Spielberger's Trait component of State‐Trait Anger Scale went through a thought‐listing procedure to determine their negative self‐statements in response to high, medium, and low anger‐arousing situations. It was found that subjects made more negative self‐statements in response to a high anger‐arousing situation compared to the medium and low anger‐arousing situations. The subjects were divided into four groups. Subjects in one group were trained to reduce their negative thoughts, subjects in a second group were trained to meditate, subjects in the third group were asked to imagine the high anger‐arousing situations (placebo procedure), and subjects in the fourth group were given no treatment. It was found that the subjects in the Negative‐thought‐reduction, Meditation and Placebo groups showed improvement in trait anger, anger aroused through high‐anger situations, anger scores across a wide variety of situations, unconstructive coping, and anger measured through physiological symptoms. The gains made through intervention were maintained at a 6‐week follow‐up. The No‐treatment Group showed no significant change in anger scroes across a wide variety of situations, unconstructive coping, and physiological symptom scores but showed a small but significant improvement in trait anger and in anger aroused by high‐anger situations.

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