Fitz’s Flaw Isn’t That He Has Anger Issues Or Even A Temper. Every Time He Expressed Anger It Was

Fitz’s flaw isn’t that he has anger issues or even a temper. Every time he expressed anger it was for very valid reasons that involved loosing a family member, being forced to live with a person who has hurt the people he cares about, and not being able to be with the person he loves due to social norms. Fitz’s actual flaw is that he has a physiological defense mechanism called displaced anger, which can be brought about by childhood trauma and the overwhelming pressure to be perfect. His displaced anger causes him to direct his anger at people who aren’t necessarily the source of the problem.

This has even been acknowledged in the books by many characters, such as Alden, Keefe and even Fitz himself. Granted it's never stated plainly as "displaced anger" but it's heavily implied that they notice he tends to direct his anger at one person in particular. Sophie, unfortunately, tends to be that person. His displaced anger can, in some ways, be slightly harmful to Sophie especially her mental state because she has shown signs of traumatic responses to his anger. For example, in Nightfall, when Mr. Forkle revealed to everyone that he had a twin, Sophie was relieved that Fitz was directing all his anger at Mr. Forkle instead of at her, even though Fitz would have no reason to direct his anger at her in the first place. I’m ashamed to admit that old-me would probably bash Fitz like a crazy person for this but being more mature and seeing the nuance in the situation I can’t help but wanna hug them both.

They both have their own ways of coping with their situations and they’re all valid. Fitz especially has shown a great amount of change already in the recent book, so much so that he even seems to be forcing himself to be okay with certain things that Sophie has done, even though he honestly doesn't need to be. Like Sophie getting with his best friend only a few weeks/months after they’ve broken up. Sophie even admitted that she’d also be very angry and hurt if Fitz did the same thing. I'm going a little off track here but bottom line is that Fitz does not have anger issues or a temper. He never did. He has a physiological defense mechanism which is his displaced anger. Spread the word!