A Historical Perspective: Ancient Theories

Lucius A. Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD)

Anger: "A sudden and powerful agitation of the mind moving straight forward to the execution of vengeance, an agitation combined with will and judgment"
Anger follow 3 sequential stages:

Involuntary arousal.
Conscious idea the the object of anger demands punishment.
Arrest of reason.

Anger is associated with the excessive heat of the body (chest). A developmental view:

In the child: Anger is sharp and chaotic (like heat propagation in an unformed/immature body).
In middle-life: Anger is vehement and robust.
In the aged (and sick): There is irracibility rather than anger. There is less heat, because there is less blood.

For More Information

De Ira (Latin Library)

Author: Jean-Marc Fellous

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