Anger, be it in adolescents or adults, is hard to write about because the management of anger is so complex. So, consider one way to think about why this feeling is valuable, and then how it can increase with the onset of adolescence.

In most cases, anger performs two valuable functions.

Anger is usually triggered by an act of judgment about what is going on. Anger declares what happened shouldn’t have occurred (“You betrayed my trust!”) or that what didn’t happen should have occurred (“You never told me!”)

The more judgmental a person is, the more inclined to anger they are: “I need to have everything done the right way!” Such people can be too angry for their own good: “Every little wrong sets me off!” Ongoing anger can feel taxing and stressful. The person can be prone to temper.

The less judgmental a person is, the less inclined to anger they are: “Just going along with whatever happens is OK.” Such people can be too accepting for their own good: “I take whatever treatment I get; I have no complaints.” Incapacity for anger can leave a person undefended. The person can tolerate mistreatment.

So, anger responds to a perceived violation of one’s well-being: “That was wrong!” “You broke your promise!” “You lied!” “You didn’t listen to me!” “You really hurt me!” And, second, anger........

© Psychology Today