Question: GROUP EXERCISE

Anger Control Role Play

Objectives: 1. To demonstrate that emotions can be managed.

2. To develop your interpersonal skills for managing both your own and someone else's anger.

Introduction: Personal experience and research tell us that anger begets anger. People do not make their best decisions when angry. Angry outbursts often inflict unintentional interpersonal damage by triggering other emotions (e.g., disgust in observers and subsequent guilt and shame in the angry person). Effective managers know how to break the cycle of negative emotions by defusing anger in themselves and others. This is a role-playing exercise for groups of four. You will have a chance to play two different roles. All the roles are generic, so they can be played as either a woman or a man.

Instructions: Your instructor will divide the class into groups of four. Everyone should read all five roles described. Members of each foursome will decide among themselves who will play which roles. All told, you will participate in two rounds of role playing (each round lasting no longer than eight minutes). In round one, one person will play Role 1 and another will play Role 3; the remaining two group members will play Role 5. In round two, those who played Role 5 in the first round will play Roles 2 and 4. The other two will switch to Role 5.

Role 1: The Angry (Out-of-Control) Shift Supervisor

You work for a leading electronics company that makes computer chips and other computer-related equipment. Your factory is responsible for assembling and testing the company's most profitable line of computer microprocessors. Business has been good, so your factory is working three shifts. The day shift, which you are now on, is the most desirable one. The night shift, from 11 pm to 7:30 am is the least desirable and least productive. In fact, the night shift is such a mess that your boss, the factory manager, wants you to move to the night shift next week. Your boss just broke this bad news as the two of you are having lunch in the company cafeteria. You are shocked and angered because you are one of the most senior and highly rated shift supervisors in the factory. Thanks to your leadership, your shift has broken all production records during the past year. As the divorced single parent of a 10-year-old child, the radical schedule change would be a major lifestyle burden. Questions swirl through your head. "Why me?" "What kind of reliable child care will be available when I sleep during the day and work at night?" "Why should I be ‘punished' for being a top supervisor?" "Why don't they hire someone for the position?" Your boss asks what you think. When playing this role, be as realistic as possible without getting so loud that you disrupt the other groups. Also, if anyone in your group would be offended by foul language, please refrain from cursing during your angry outburst.

Role 2: The Angry (Under-Control) Shift Supervisor Same situation as in Role 1. But this role will require you to read and act according to the tips below (Guides for Action and Pitfalls to Avoid). You have plenty of reason to be frustrated and angry, but you realize the importance of maintaining a good working relationship with the factory manager. Guides for Action

• Appreciate the potentially valuable lessons from anger.

• Use mistakes and slights to learn.

• Recognize that you and others can do well enough without being perfect.

• Trust that most people want to be caring, helpful family members and colleagues.

• Forgive others and yourself.

• Confront unrealistic, blame-oriented assumptions.

• Adopt constructive, learning-oriented assumptions. Pitfalls to Avoid

• Assume every slight is a painful wound.

• Equate not getting what you want with catastrophe.

• See every mistake and slip as a transgression that must be corrected immediately.

• Attack someone for your getting angry.

• Attack yourself for getting angry.

• Try to be and have things perfect.

• Suspect people's motives unless you have incontestable evidence that people can be trusted.

• Assume any attempt to change yourself is an admission of failure.

• Never forgive.

Role 3: The (Hard-Driving) Factory Manager You have a reputation for having a "short fuse." When someone gets angry with you, you attack. When playing this role, be as realistic as possible. Remember, you are responsible for the entire factory with its 1,200 employees and hundreds of millions of dollars of electronics products. A hiring freeze is in place, so you have to move one of your current supervisors. You have chosen your best supervisor because the night shift is your biggest threat to profitable operations. The night-shift supervisor gets a 10 percent pay premium. Ideally, the move will only be for six months.

Role 4: The (Mellow) Factory Manager Same general situation as in Role 3. However, this role will require you to read and act according to the tips that follow (Guides for Action and Pitfalls to Avoid). You have a reputation for being results-oriented but reasonable. You are good at taking a broad, strategic view of problems and are a good negotiator. Guides for Action

• Expect angry people to exaggerate.

• Recognize the other's frustrations and pressures.

• Use the provocation to develop your abilities.

• Allow the other to let off steam.

• Begin to problem-solve when the anger is at moderate levels.

• Congratulate yourself on turning an outburst into an opportunity to find solutions.

• Share successes with partners. Pitfalls to Avoid

• Take every word literally.

• Denounce the most extreme statements and ignore more moderate ones.

• Doubt yourself because the other does.

• Attack because you have been attacked.

• Forget the experience without learning from it.

Role 5: Silent Observer Follow the exchange between the shift supervisor and the factory manager without talking or getting actively involved. Jot down some notes (for later class discussion) as you observe whether the factory manager did a good job of managing the supervisor's anger.

Questions for Discussion

1. Why is uncontrolled anger a sure road to failure?

2. Is it possible to express anger without insulting others? Explain.

3. Which is more difficult, controlling anger in yourself or defusing someone else's anger? Why?

4. What useful lessons did you learn from this roleplaying exercise?