Rage: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

Are we living in the age of rage?

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Anger is a normal human emotion – useful even – yet phrases like 'road rage', 'desk rage', 'air rage' and even 'shopping trolley rage' are becoming increasingly common.

Insight asks why some people use anger to their advantage, while others explode and cut a destructive path.

Federal Labor MP Belinda Neal and Swans player Barry Hall have both publicly lost their tempers and been condemned by peers and the public, yet the anger and aggression of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is celebrated.

So where's the line between being a strong leader and a bully?

Experts argue that when properly managed, anger is not a problem. It can be a positive emotion that helps us affect change, reach our goals or stand up for ourselves.

Insight asks how anger can be turned into a positive, whether men and women react differently and whether some of us are just genetically predisposed to fly off the handle.

Meet the Guests

Pat Cash

Pat Cash has had a brilliant international tennis career. And the pinnacle was his defeat of Ivan Lendl for the Wimbledon title in 1987. But in the course of this career he earned and acknowledged he had a reputation for having a fiery temper on court with the occasional racquet smashing incident and a bit of umpire abuse.

Amanda Vanstone

Amanda Vanstone is a former Minister with the Howard Government and is currently Australian Ambassador to Italy. She has always been a very robust, provocative and witty politician who has drawn her fair share of personally targeted criticism in federal politics. Amanda delivers her own unique perspective on anger and rage in political circles.

Grant Brecht

As club psychologist to the Sydney Swans AFL club, Grant was responsible for Barry Hall's return to the game after a number of high profile incidences this year. Grant's consultancy, Grant Brecht and Associates also provides leadership training to businesses.

Glenn Manton

Glenn Manton was an outstanding AFL player with Essendon and Carlton racking up 164 games before retiring in 2003. He acknowledges that he was a temperamental young bloke. Since retirement he's become a popular motivational speaker in schools and has co founded the charity Whitelion that works with young men in the juvenile justice system.

Jayashri Kulkarni

Jayashri Kulkarni is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Monash / Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanics of the brain to develop new treatments for people with mental illness.

Rodney Hogg

Rodney Hogg is a former Australian cricketer. An aggressive fast bowler, 'Hoggie' played in 38 tests where he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47. In 1979, in one of his most infamous displays of rage, Hogg bowled a ball at a batsman's head, kicked down the stumps and stormed off the field.

Professor McGorry

Professor McGorry is the Executive Director of ORYGEN Youth Health and ORYGEN Research Centre which is affiliated with the University of Melbourne. Professor McGorry's research team has recently conducted studies on anger and the adolescent brain.