The Effects of Anger Management on Workers: A Questionnaire Survey of Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior and Withdrawal from Interpersonal Relationships in the Workplace

Abstract

The voluntary behaviors of individuals that negatively impact the organization and its members should be addressed. According to the threatened egotism model, it is possible to curb such behaviors by effectively managing negative emotions. One such management strategy is anger management. Recently, some organizations have been implementing anger management programs, but their effect on behavior has not been verified. This study focused on organizational dysfunctional behavior and interpersonal withdrawal and attempted to examine the effects of anger management on these behaviors using a pre–post-test design. An anger management program and questionnaires before and after were administered to 92 workers (28 men and 64 women). The questionnaire included the Sociability Scale, which measures disengagement from interpersonal relationships, and the Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior Scale. A comparison of scale scores before and after the program revealed a significant decrease in the “Criticism of Others” on the Organizational Dysfunctional Behavior Scale. Furthermore, a similar analysis by sex and age revealed a significant decrease in “Criticism of Others” among women and workers under 46 years of age. These results indicate that anger management is not effective for reducing interpersonal withdrawal but may instead be effective for reducing criticism of others among women and young workers.