History Main / MisdirectedOutburst

Afterward, the character might apologize, saying something like "You didn't deserve that."

# They're angry at themself.

* ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'': In the episode where Angie's mother dies, George reveals that he failed to reserve a third burial plot next to the one for him and Angie so her mother could be buried next to them despite telling her he had reserved the plot years ago. Angie is furious at George for this deception but Ernie suspects there is something else eating at her. When George confronts her about it, Angie reveals that she is really angry at herself because her last conversation with her mother had Angie calling her a "selfish tramp" for cheating on Angie's father.
* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The episode. "The Chain of Screaming" discussed the titular phenomenon in which people take out their anger over being yelled at on other people instead of the person who yelled at them in the first place.

1. They're angry about something that cannot be yelled at, such as a death or illness.

2. They can't (or at least feel they can't) lash out at the person who angered them. This can be because the person is dead, away, in a position of authority over the character, or otherwise someone they do not want to piss off, no matter how angry they are.

3. They're angry at themself.

Afterward, the character might apologize, saying something like "You didn't deserve that."

There's getting mad at someone who hurt you. There's getting mad at someone who frustrates you. And then, there's the Misdirected Outburst -- in which a character lashes out at a character who is being at worst mildly irritating because they are already mad at the world. This event can be a death, divorce of parents, disabling illness diagnosis, or something else, but it must be something that the character can't lash out at themself. This can happen for three reasons:

1. The thing they're mad at is something like a death or an illness, which cannot be yelled at.

3. The thing they're mad at is themselves.

Can overlap with TheChainOfHarm. Compare MisplacedRetribution. Often triggered during the "Anger" stage of the FiveStagesOfGrief. Also overlaps with RantInducingSlight if the rant is due to frustration rather than anger at something else. It might result in an AngerMontage, an AngryDance, or an AngryCollarGrab.

* ''Anime/MadokaMagica'' : Sayaka yelling at Madoka at a bus stop is a sign of her downward spiral.

* ''Fanfic/FriendlyForeignExchangeStudentSpiderman'': This something that [[TheRival Bakugo Katsuki]] ''constantly'' does to [[IdealHero Peter Parker]] in the early story, mainly due to the latter ranking first in class and whose fragile ego taking any personal slight whenever someone ''else'' unfavorably compares him to the arachnid-hero. {{Deconstructed|Trope}} as this doesn't do him any favors in Peter's eyes, [[spoiler:which leads to his personal PrideBeforeTheFall in the U.A. Sports Festival]].

* ''Fanfic/JuniorOfficers'': In "Even the Best Fall Down Sometimes", Captain Barnacles is ashamed of himself for unintentionally being the cause of Shellington's mental breakdown. Deborah comes over and he gives her a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech for trying to stay optimistic at a time like this. He later apologizes.

* Subverted for laughs in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'', Kirito screams at Agil/Tiffany in his bar after learning about Asuna's predicament at the hands of Suguha and Mr. Yuuki. However, he never once lashes out at Tiff directly, making it quite clear who he's angry at, and Tiff lets him yell to his heart's content.
-->'''Kirito:''' YOU'RE WELCOME! I TREASURE OUR FRIENDSHIP!

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film--Live-Action]]

-->'''Barney Stinson''': That's why there's a little thing in corporate America I like to call the chain of screaming.\\
'''Marshall Eriksen''': The chain of screaming?\\
'''Barney Stinson''': Yes. The chain of screaming starts at the top. Arthur's boss's boss screams at Arthur's boss. Arthur's boss screams at Arthur. Arthur screams at you. You go home and scream at Lily. Lily screams at one of the kids in her kindergarten class. Then that kid screams at her dad: Arthur's boss's boss. And the whole thing starts all over again; thus completing the circle of screaming.

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Subverted for laughs in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'', Kirito screams at Agil/Tiffany in his bar after learning about Asuna's predicament at the hands of Suguha and Mr. Yuuki. However, he never once lashes out at Tiff directly, making it quite clear who he's angry at, and Tiff lets him yell to his heart's content.
-->'''Kirito''': YOU'RE WELCOME! I TREASURE OUR FRIENDSHIP!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

--->'''Barney Stinson''': That's why there's a little thing in corporate America I like to call the chain of screaming.
--->'''Marshall Eriksen''': The chain of screaming?
--->'''Barney Stinson''': Yes. The chain of screaming starts at the top. Arthur's boss's boss screams at Arthur's boss. Arthur's boss screams at Arthur. Arthur screams at you. You go home and scream at Lily. Lily screams at one of the kids in her kindergarten class. Then that kid screams at her dad: Arthur's boss's boss. And the whole thing starts all over again; thus completing the circle of screaming.

* ''Series/TheWitcher2019'', "[[Recap/TheWitcher2019S01E06RareSpecies Rare Species]]": Immediately after Geralt's lover leaves him, his OnlyFriend Jaskier walks up, unaware, and starts chatting. Geralt rounds on him, blames him for all his problems, and wishes to have Jaskier out of his life - so Jaskier does just that.

[[folder: VisualNovel]]

[[folder: WebVideos]]

--> '''Kirito''': YOU'RE WELCOME! I TREASURE OUR FRIENDSHIP!

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

-->'''Ned:''' And as for you, I don't know you but I'm sure you're a jerk!
-->'''Lenny:''' Hey, I've only been here a few minutes, what's going on?
[[/folder]]

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The episode. "The Chain of Screaming" discussed the titular phenomena in which people take out their anger over being yelled at on other people instead of the person who yelled at them in the first place.

3. The thing they're mad at is themself.

''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'': In the ''Heaven's Feel'' route, after Rider is easily beaten by Saber in their first encounter, her master Shinji [[KickThemWhileTheyAreDown kicks her in frustration for his loss]], while Saber rightly points out to him that it's his own fault for the outcome, not his servant. A while after that, he beats up his sister [[ShrinkingViolet Sakura]], much to Shiro's ire when he sees her bruises.

'''EMH:''' She's not angry at you. She's just... angry.

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', War Machine is accidentally shot by Vision and falls to the ground. Iron Man, already angry about the fight among the superheroes and concerned about his friend, punches out Falcon, Vision's intended target, as Falcon approached and expressed his concern for War Machine.

Can overlap with TheChainOfHarm. Compare MisplacedRetribution. Also overlaps with RantInducingSlight if the rant is due to frustration rather than anger at something else. It might result in an AngerMontage, an AngryDance, or an AngryCollarGrab.

There's getting mad at someone who hurt you. There's getting mad at someone who frustrates you. And then, there's the Misdirected Outburst- in which a character lashes out at a character who is being at worst mildly irritating because they are already mad at the world. This event can be a death, divorce of parents, disabling illness diagnosis, or other, but it must be something that the character can't lash out at themself. This can happen for three reasons: