The patterns of anger regulation among school principals and their sources

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore school principals' sources of felt anger and to trace their forms of anger regulation in the workplace.Design/methodology/approachBased on semi-structured interviews with 30 elementary and secondary school principals in Israel, a typology of anger regulation is presented and analyzed.FindingsThe typology includes three types of perceived anger regulation: anger and surface acting, a moderate expression of anger and an authentic expression of anger. While teachers and students may provoke the principal's anger, most commonly external constituencies (e.g. Ministry of Education, Local Education Authorities) trigger their intense anger. Concluding the paper are suggestions for further research on anger in educational leadership and practical recommendations.Originality/valuestudy fills the gap in knowledge about emotion regulation in educational leadership, in general, and increases our insights into the values and norms that delineate the degree to which anger expression is appropriate in the school, in particular.