Hulk Syndrome: Bruce Banner's Nightmare
Not a lot of people know about Hulk Syndrome. It’s characterized by sudden explosions of anger. These explosions often turn into violent behavior. The medical name for it is syndrome of Amok. However, people associate it with the green monster Hulk.
Hulk is a character from the Marvel comics. He’s also appeared in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films. He’s appeared the latest installments of the Thor and The Avengers series. Hulk is gentle Dr. Bruce Banner‘s alter ego. While doing experiments in toxic waste, Dr. Banner contaminated himself.
From that moment on, Dr. Banner had a second personality: the Hulk. This green monster appears suddenly. He’s violent and has a tendency to destroy everything around him. Dr. Banner has no control over the Hulk, and vice versa. Little by little, Dr. Banner learns to live with this nasty green monster.
Hulk Syndrome, The syndrome of Amok
In the movies, Dr. Banner morphs into the Hulk when he gets really angry. His behavior is uncontrollable and he’s driven by anger. When we bottle up our anger, it can make us explode in a very violent way.
According to experts, Hulk Syndrome is linked to cultural factors. Although the Hulk Syndrome has been documented in many cultures, they all documented it in different ways.
In the West, before Hulk was a fictional character, people already documented Hulk Syndrome. It was known by another name: syndrome of Amok. Psychologists took the word Amok from the Malay term men-amok. This word broadly means “to attack and kill with blind wrath”.
Psychologists believe that Hulk Syndrome has caused a lot of damage and is the source of many physical altercations. However, studies suggest that the frequency of diagnosis is much lower than its actual incidence in society. For example, many people who suffer from syndrome of Amok can commit suicide at the end of an episode.
Turn your rage into energy
Not all anger is negative. It doesn’t make sense to reject our emotions. A spiritually healthy person is someone who allows themselves to feel the full range of their emotions.
This includes negative emotions such as anger or sadness. Anger fulfills its function when it warns us. Someone may have violated our rights, which makes us angry. This is justifiable and makes us stand up for ourselves. Anger is also worthwhile when it gives us the energy to react. It tells us not to let another person abuse someone we love. However, there’s a problem when this emotion, with its potentially negative energy, dominates our behavior.
Thus, we have to resort to emotional intelligence to control our anger. With a lot of effort and dedication, our explosions of anger can work in our favor.
It’s important to understand that controlling our anger is a process that requires conscious effort. It’s also a very rewarding experience. A person can channel that energy that previously caused violence towards an organized plan of action. Remember that Hulk Syndrome isn’t a defining quality of someone’s character. We can manage our anger and turn it into a strength.
How to channel anger
Next, we’ll give you some strategies to help you manage your anger better. Using these strategies will hopefully reduce your chances of being caught in a Hulk Syndrome situation.
- Exercise and breathe fresh air. Exercising makes it easier for our bodies to flush out accumulated energy. In addition, exercise releases hormones associated with happiness.
- Externalize the thoughts you’re having. Sometimes it’s difficult to talk about our feelings. However, expressing our feelings is very important and can help us cope.
- Meditate. Learning to empty our minds is a skill that can help in very intense emotional situations. For example, it’s possible to get to know ourselves better through meditation.
Remember that anger and frustration are natural emotions. Try to channel them in a positive, helpful way. The best way to manage them is by using them to your advantage.