Do you know someone with anger management issues? One high profile celebrity can’t seem to get away from his own poor behavior. On the coattails of his conviction for egging his neighbor’s Los Angeles home, Justin Bieber has now been sentenced for his January 2014 arrest in Miami. At the time, he was pulled over for taking part in a street race. He was originally accused of DUI and resisting arrest but has pleaded it down to a careless driving and resisting an officer without violence violation. The judge sentenced him to watch reality videos of DUI cases that ended in tragedy, pay court fines, make a $50,000 charitable donation and to take a 12-hour anger management class. After analysis of the case, the judge determined that more than just fines, Bieber needs some help and intervention.
Why anger management classes you may ask? As we’ve seen with many child celebrities, reaching stardom at such a young age can wreak havoc in the long-term. Some grow up without limits or structure and believe that they should always be able to get what they want. In this case, he overlooked the law by participating in an unsafe drag race on public streets. However, when caught, instead of apologizing and accepting blame, he supposedly lashed out in anger at the cops who tried to stop him, completely in denial of his unlawfulness. This sense of entitlement that he should be able to do what others can’t for his own immediate gratification causes him to become angry, even belligerent when he doesn’t get his way.
Most of us know someone in our lives that displays this behavior. The anger and frustration that person feels when he’s told “no” causes a loss of objectivity, empathy and control. The judge chose to mandate anger management training because it will teach him the skills to use to avoid this reactive behavior. It’s up to him to rise to the occasion and accept the challenge to improve himself by making conscious behavioral changes.
A 12-hour anger management program like the one he was assigned, will push him to become introspective and think about what it is that triggers his unacceptable responses. He will learn improved listening and communication techniques like avoiding interrupting others with “yes, but” or “no, I never!” A key component to listening is to repeat back what he heard the other person say to clear up any misconceptions in a respectful and calm tone of voice. Anger control classes will also teach empathy to help him reflect and understand how his misguided high-profile behavior affects individuals and the world around him. Just because he’s popular doesn’t mean he’s always right and his antics are not only self-centered, but could cause serious injury, basically he’ll learn the importance of social awareness.
Finally, a large benefit of anger management training entails learning new stress reduction tips. Just like Bieber, many of us live fast-paced, high-stress lives and anger classes teach techniques to help calm down before a conflict arises. A good anger management program either in a group setting, online or 1/1 with a qualified therapist is education that most of could use for success in our daily lives.