The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships

Harriet Lerner, PhD, is a clinical psychologist whose professional training and decades of practice shaped the foundation of The Dance of Anger. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology from the City University of New York and completed postdoctoral work at the Menninger Clinic, where she later served as a staff psychologist for nearly 30 years. Her long tenure at Menninger, a leading center for psychiatric and psychological treatment, placed her at the intersection of clinical expertise and real-world therapeutic encounters, particularly with women navigating relational and emotional challenges. This grounding in family systems theory and women’s psychology directly informs the book’s central argument that anger is not a defect, but an essential tool for self-definition and relational clarity.

Beyond her clinical background, Lerner was writing during a moment of growing feminist critique in the late 20th century, when traditional psychological narratives often dismissed or pathologized women’s emotional lives. Her perspective reflects both her training in systems theory and her feminist orientation, which enabled her to frame women’s anger as a relational signal rather than a personal failing.

At the same time, the book reflects the social context in which it was written, focusing largely on the experiences of white, middle-class, heterosexual women. This scope means it engages less with how race, class, or sexuality may shape women’s anger and power. While readers today may need to adapt her insights to more diverse realities, Lerner’s achievement remains significant: She merged clinical expertise with feminist critique to validate anger as a legitimate, even necessary, force for women’s self-definition. That combination secured The Dance of Anger a lasting place as both psychological guide and a feminist classic.