Anger
In Archaic and Old Egyptian, gods could express anger. Once the language of Middle Egyptians developed around 2000 BCE, hieroglyphs for human anger became more widely known. This was important in the development of Egyptian religious practices, as during this period, it was understood that both gods and humans felt and expressed emotions.
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This hieroglyphic represents "anger," or "dšrt."
c. 2000-1350 BCE
c. 4th Century BCE
In Aristotle's Rhetoric, he describes anger as "a desire, accompanied by pain, for what appears to be revenge for what appears to be a slight by people for whom it was not proper to slight oneself or someone close to one."
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Aristotle describes most emotions as having a precursor and then needing a cause for that emotion to be justified. In the case of anger, there must be a "slight."
c. 50 CE
Anger is first presented as a mortal sin in Christianity:
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"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
- Galatians 5:19-21 (NRSV)
1550-1650 CE
Jews and Christians began to attribute anger to a "diabolic distemper" and believed it to be a sign of demonic possession and, later, witchcraft. In descriptions of the possessed, their faces were usually described as "distorted" and filled with rage.
Early 1900s
Anger becomes more deeply gendered. Men are socially allowed competitive anger while women are expected to entirely suppress their anger. Children are now being taught to control their anger and "wife beating" is considered a crime in America.
2001-Present
The twenty first century welcomed a global movement of protests against government actions and corruption. Specifically, the American political landscape after 9/11 changed drastically. Flash forward to the presidency of Donald Trump, where more than one protest has occurred in his first year in office.
