Novaco (1975) · Anger
Novaco (1975)
Trigger / Provocation
A triggering event — external (being criticised, cut up in traffic, ignored, treated unfairly) or internal (a memory, or a physical state such as pain, tiredness or hunger that lowers the threshold).
Appraisals & Expectations
Appraisals and expectations that turn the event into a provocation — perceiving disrespect, injustice, deliberate wrongdoing or threat; rigid 'should' and 'must' rules; and hostile attributions about others' intentions.
Anger
The subjective experience of anger — from irritation and frustration through to intense rage.
Physical Arousal
Physiological arousal — heat, muscle tension, clenched jaw and fists, racing heart, and a surge of energy. Arousal and angry thoughts amplify each other.
Behavioural Reaction
The behavioural reaction — verbal or physical aggression, threats, slamming things, or withdrawal and suppression. Its consequences often escalate the situation, provoke others and create new problems, which confirm the hostile appraisal and prime the next episode.
The published model, shown for reference. Switch to “Blank” to see the empty template you complete with a client.
Anger is a normal, sometimes useful emotion — but it can become a problem when it's too frequent, too intense, or leads to things we regret. This model, based on Novaco's work, shows how anger builds and what keeps it going.
It starts with a trigger — being cut up in traffic, criticised, ignored, or treated unfairly. But the trigger alone doesn't create the anger; how we read it does. Thoughts like 'that's disrespectful', 'they did it on purpose', or 'this shouldn't be allowed' turn a setback into a provocation.
That reading fires up the body — heat, tension, a pounding heart, a surge of energy — and this arousal and the angry thoughts feed each other, pushing the anger higher.
Then comes the reaction: snapping, shouting, lashing out — or bottling it up. Often the reaction makes things worse: it provokes others, creates new problems, and seems to prove we were right to be angry. So the pattern is primed to fire again. Seeing each part gives us places to step in.
How to introduce the model, guided-discovery questions, treatment targets and a behavioural experiment are available to signed-in therapists.
This diagram is a reconstruction of the published model for clinical and educational use, grounded in the sources above.
Formulate provides educational CBT resources for use with a qualified therapist. They are not a substitute for professional assessment, diagnosis, or crisis care.
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