Abstract
There is a widespread belief among health professionals that unexpressed anger
causes a great many physiological and psychological problems that can be alleviated by getting the individual to express anger, "getting it out of the system" so
to speak. A dispassionate examination of the literature, however, suggests that
the evidence for such a view is extremely limited and questionable. In fact, the
ventilation viewpoint may have obscured the fact that the unbridled expression of
anger may lead to very negative social consequences and increased tension for
the individual.