Aggressive Behavior Vs. Passive Aggressive Behavior

Uh oh, someone or something has pushed your button. Should you be passive aggressive and hold it in, or should you let it out. Unfortunately, this scenario occurs more frequently for some people, some handle it better than others. Regardless of that fact, the question is... should you be aggressive with your anger, or suppress it?
Aggressive people seem to openly express their feelings, regardless of the circumstances. Most aggressive people do not keep their feelings in. Sometimes that aggressiveness can intimidate other people around them. When this occurs, some form of anger management would not be a bad idea.
Anger management helps a person recognize when they are angry. It is much easier to deal with anger when you know, and acknowledge, that you are angry. Once you are aware of being upset, the hard part is deciding what to do next. Despite how angry you may feel, there is always a choice in how you respond to it. You can choose to suppress, express, or control yourself.
People with anger issues, may believe the only choice is to react violently or abusively. Anger management helps you to realize that expressing your emotions by talking it out, and suppressing violent feelings, is more beneficial. This can be a deep process for some, but once a person takes control of their emotions, it will make it easier to refrain from throwing something or punching someone in the mouth - no matter how tempting it could be.
People who struggle with being aggressive tend to wear their emotions on their sleeves, so to speak! which many times results in defensiveness, and anything setting them off. Ironically, it is that feature that makes an aggressive person more likely to learn how to control their anger over a passive aggressive person.
Since, aggressive people are seemingly more predictable and are more abrupt in their reactions, they can look back and identify what sets them off, a little easier. A passive aggressive person, on the other hand, will have a more difficult time figuring out the source of their anger, because they tend to hold things in - which, in most cases, results in resentment. The initial cause of the resentment, is then not easily resolved because it is either buried or expressed in unhealthy ways.
By knowing what sparks angry thoughts in the first place, both passive aggressive and aggressive people are more equipped to make healthier decisions in finding a common ground between being assertive and aggressive.
A point worth mentioning is, aggressiveness should not be confused with assertiveness. Aggressive people are more forceful or difficult. Assertive people take control, but is respectful of others. Respect, is the defining term here.