Yeah, they are also angry and are looking for someone or something to rage against since they feel so helpless and can't fight with the thing they are really angry at. The hard part is to not engage in the argument and smack them back hard with tough love.
My wife still struggles with that, she lets herself get drawn into the fight instead of shutting it down. She responds to the words instead of looking at the big picture and letting the words fall on deaf ears. She's getting better at it but it's still hard for her.