The thesis of this paper is that the emotion of anger is linked with a specific form of aggression. A preliminary review of psychoanalytical theories of aggression shows that these encompass two categories of aggression—innate and reactive—which operate in man: one negative and purely destructive; the other positive and life-oriented. Innate or negative destructive aggression is linked with the emotion of envy, while reactive or positive, life-oriented aggression is shown to be linked with the emotion of anger and is a reaction to life-threatening events. In early, primitive development, envy linked with innate aggression becomes destructive and manifests itself in pathology. In a more developed organization, anger linked with reactive aggression comes under the control of reasoning and promotes self-preservation and progress.