What Are the Causes of Anger in Teenagers?

There are many well-known causes for anger in teenagers, including ever-changing hormones and difficulty adapting to peers and social situations, but other reasons might not be so apparent. Teens might have a difficult time controlling anger if they are feeling depressed or are grieving. Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) also might be a reason a teenager consistently shows signs of anger and frustration.

Teenagers are most likely going through hormonal changes, so confusion might erupt as transformations take place at a crucial time in their lives. Anger in teenagers might be obvious when they are having a difficult time adjusting because they might not fully understand what is happening to them. Similarly, the teenage years are often an important time for young adults to assimilate into social situations. If teens do not fit in or feel wanted in certain settings, controlling anger might not be easy for them. Teenagers might feel overwhelmed and lash out in frustration and anger because of their extracurricular activities, significant amounts of homework or other responsibilities.

Depression also can be an underlying cause of anger in teenagers, even though it might not be apparent immediately. Mental health professionals note that anger is one of the most common signs of depression during the teenage years. Teen girls are twice as likely as their male counterparts to be depressed. When teen boys are depressed, they are more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior and anger problems.

If teenagers are not comfortable expressing themselves in front of others or are unsure of how to show emotion when they have experienced a loss in their life, they might resort to using anger instead. Grieving teenagers might act out their frustration and anger at the world around them instead of communicating and working through their feelings. Anger in teenagers might become apparent if they are involved in the death in some way, feel responsible for the death or saw the death occur. They might try to compensate for feeling useless and helpless by resorting to anger instead.

A teenager who shows both unhealthy anger and has a hard time controlling anger might be suffering from oppositional defiant disorder. This disease is characterized by specific traits, such as an insatiable desire to seek revenge at all costs, excessive or incessant arguing, defiance and a complete lack of responsibility to accept blame for mistakes. All teens might display these patterns of behavior at any given time, but a teen who has ODD will lash out and be continuously disruptive.