Anger fosters this self assertion and it helps us display that assertion. So it appears that we are faced with choosing between two evils. On one hand, we can lash out at the world, thereby hurting others, or we can bottle in our anger, thereby hurting ourselves. Anger in all of its manifestations appears to be negative, with few exceptions, such as the woman that hinders an attack by using anger to scare off the attacker. Anger does deserve all of its bad reputation.
Anger can be very destructive, it can lead to liver, heart and artery damage.
The key to living with anger is being conscious of the anger that is within us. Without such knowledge of ourselves, our anger will remain raw and unfiltered. Wisdom lies in knowing when to deny anger and when to vent it, when to direct it, and at what target. Leaving anger alone, leaving it to smolder so to speak, is a dubious method of coping with anger. But to be angry at the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not so easy.