How to Deal With an Aggressive Person

Humans are born with an aggressive gene, which works when needed in threatening or dangerous situations. Unfortunately, this same useful aggression goes uncontrolled in some people. Dealing with unwanted and unwarranted aggression depends on how harmful the aggression is to you or your loved ones. Coping with an aggressive person can be challenging. While remaining passive is often appropriate, you should know how to deal head on with the person.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Recognize when the aggressive person becomes frustrated or angry. These feelings often trigger aggressive responses.

2. Leave the immediate area when you see these changes. Do not wait around for an explosion. You may get caught in the middle or end up cleaning up the mess is made.

3. Protect yourself and your children. Do not try to reason with an aggressive person who is in the throes of a tantrum.

4. Suggest counseling or treatment to the aggressive individual as a coping mechanism. Try this suggestion only when the person is not acting out. Anger management referral service can be reached in the U.S. at 1-800-886-4986.

5. Aggression often breeds aggression. A passive response will get through immediate danger and allow you time to defuse the situation or get away from it.

6. Depersonalize the aggression. Aggression is a coping mechanism for people who have not dealt with past traumas or injustices. They need to get to the core issues of their aggression that typically have nothing to do with you.

7. Let the person get their aggression out through talking. Sometimes a boiling point can be avoided if the aggressor finds a passive audience to just listen.