Psychology MCAT Practice Exam 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide for Aspiring Psychologists.

Intermittent explosive disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of uncontrollable anger that are disproportionate to the situation at hand. Individuals with this disorder experience sudden, intense episodes of rage that can lead to verbal or physical aggression. These outbursts occur without provocation and often cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning.

The key feature here is the severity of the anger outbursts relative to the triggering event, which is a hallmark of intermittent explosive disorder. This discrepancy between the trigger and the reaction exemplifies how the disorder manifests. The episodes can be brief but quite intense, often leading to feelings of remorse afterward.

In contrast, other disorders like conduct disorder typically involve a pattern of behavior that violates societal rules and norms but do not specifically focus on disproportionate outbursts of anger. Kleptomania primarily revolves around the compulsive urge to steal, and oppositional defiant disorder involves a persistent pattern of angry or irritable mood, argumentative behavior, or defiance towards authority figures, but it does not distinctly emphasize the explosive nature of anger seen in intermittent explosive disorder.