If Betty would do some charity work, and realize there are people who are much less fortunate than she, then she'd probably would not be so angry! Compared to most people, Betty has not one damn thing to whine about!

There area a lot of forces at work here fueling Betty's anger. I'm sure she suspects Don's infidelity -- but has not proof.

There can also be anger building because she has no proof. She's got to release a lot of pent up anger -- but right now there's no outlet. And it's frustrating the hell out of her.

I think she's also feeling that she's less of a team with Don. After the scene in the restaurant with Jimmy Barrett, she felt a little of being his partner, though.

Betty's being able to get out and around right now
can act like a safety-valve to dissipate all build-up inside.

We've only gotten glimpses of her back story, and those with her father's new 'friend' and memories of her mother certainly are fueling resentment on a lower level.

A big part of Betty's frustration is not being able to prove Don's infidelity -- although she suspects it.

Her verbal dalliance with Arthur was also a bit of an outlet. But nothing will happen there, if at all, until she had proof of Don's infidelity.

Or, she might have an affair with someone else, if she had the hard facts on Don. But, then again, she might forgive him -- and take it out in other ways, like furs, jewelry, fancy new cars, etc.

There are so many open ends on this situation with Betty and it's going to be interesting to see how they unfold.

Betty's not only angry -- she's disappointed. Not a good combo.

well i would say being an abandoned trophy wife would make anyone with a pulse angry - and being resourceful only through one's husband must be frustrating,esp. if you made money before as a model - and hello - has anyone noticed the misogyny of the era? You think the shrink is immune from this (Jung wrote that women, like animals don't have feelings! and Freud!! oy!) Of course she's mad! And of course it has to come out sideways because in those days there was no way to express oneself directly. (look at Joan - her empowerment comes through snakiness, and Peggy still has to act like a woman, running AV when she is a writer) That shrink probably still believes "hysteria" is a diagnosis! I disagree with his diagnosis of Betty as "immature" - confused, i would agree with, and repressed. But she held her own as a model and she is raising two kids - coming unhinged maybe but not because she's not mature - because her life looks fine but is in fact makes very little sense.

The story of Betty and her mother hasn't been fleshed out but I hear and see a stifled scream coming from Betty in scene after scene. It's so realistic. Betty is very angry at her mother and how she was treated, but cannot allow herself to be conscious of it, she'd feel guilty for one thing, but she'd also fall apart. The perfect dress and hair wouldn't hold her together if she admitted that!
She's terrified of those feelings. To add to the conflict within, she idolized her mother for how beautiful and perfect she was, didn't feel she measured up, therefore believed her mother's criticism of her wholeheartedly. In the psychiatrist's office Betty was angry and defensive at Dr. Wayne suggesting she's angry with her mother. Big Red Flag! And it was interesting when Betty said her own mother had called her a "prostitute" in regard to her being a model. Her mother was insanely jealous of Betty having a career based on her beauty and belittled her to keep her down. I think she was cruel and Betty was made to believe she deserved it.

Betty certainly knows her husband is unfaithful. I believe the first season was filled with snapshots of her naiveté and descriptions of her idea of the ‘dream’ life she aspired to. Bit by bit, during her conversations with Francine about their lives and their neighbors, she has put two and two together and concluded, a) that she has been too oblivious and trusting, and b) she has no idea what to replace her life with, i.e., how to change her life and herself.

Her inability to find the way to herself is what fuels the dramatic mood swings ranging between sadness and anger. She harbors a deep anger and frustration, but feels she can control it, her face, and her life. The anger, however, comes out in different ways--physically (shaking, numbnes) and emotionally (parenting her children, sadness/depression and low self esteem).

The Benefactor episode has a scene where she admits to Arthur (the stable gigolo) that she is not so different from the fiancé he continues to complain about.
He says, “Girls and their horses…I can’t figure you out…”
“Why would you want to do that?”
Arthur tells her a story about the day he saw the house where his fiancé lived. He tells Betty, “I realized why she was so happy all the time and why she was so angry when she didn’t get what she wanted.
“All girls are like that,” Betty quickly replied.
“You aren’t.”
“You don’t know that.”

I think this is Betty’s way to admitting to a deep anger and admitting to Arthur she does not necessarily display her emotions. We’ll soon see Betty explode the minute she gets concrete evidence. She has repeated her disdain for liars...Now that she's paying attention, she will certainly catch Don in one.

Oh, please....If Betty has a disdain for liars, then she has a disdain for herself! She compulsively lies! She lied about the mechanic. She lied to that snake Francine about knowing her ex-roomie Juanita was a "party girl." She lied to her therapist about Don "smelling" like his other women and hotel receipts. Don's other ladies each had their own places, where I'm sure Don washed his ass!

Betty is a habitual liar and I wouldn't be shocked if all that crap she said about her mom was also a bunch of lies!

Betty's "passion" (as she said) for riding and her fantasy about gunning down those pigeons shows that she is a strong woman and one who is holding herself back. She's a college grad and ex-model who could have written her own ticket, but here she is crippled by her mother's criticism and Don's philandering plus stuck in the house when she'd rather be out in the world. I realize it's the early 60's when a lot of women were housewives, but that doesn't make it any easier for Betty. She has good reason to be pissed off.
The statement she made to the shrink "....I suppose that means I'm not enough..." referring to Don being unfaithful, echoes her critical mother. She's doing everything in her power to win everyone's approval but the truth is she needs to finally stand up and say," You know what? I AM good enough!" She's way too good for Don and he knows it.
This season she has that "...and then I woke up" countenance, so I think she's ready to let go with both barrels.

This blaming other people for Betty's problems bugs! Everything that's made Betty unhappy is caused by other people? Bull----!

Betty and her numerous defenders should take a long look at this bimbo and the choices she's made that have led her to this point. (And she had a hell of a lot more choices than the other Mad Women!) She's the TRUE cause of her unhappiness!

I hadn't noticed anger in Betty so much until tonight. Previously, what I had seen in her was fear, mainly fear of losing Don. I've read that behind anger is usually fear. . .