The Psychology of Fear and Courage
- Author:
nawara uiover. penguin special.
In the brief space of 128 pages Dr Glover has given to the public a clear account of the meaning, expression and management of feaf both real and unreal and shows by the under- standing thereof how morale can be built up and true courage gained. He reveals by abundant and everyday illustrations that primitive child- hood fears lie secretly in the mind of civilized adult man and he indicates how the enemy plays uPon these fears with childish tactics. Rumour, for instance, is a grown-up fairy tale. The author likens human beings to bombs and describes the manifestations of anxiety and Cental distress as the explosions from within the mind of the primitive terrors of infancy.
The second part of the book deals with the management of these fears by mental first aid and, more importantly, self-aid whereby the individual learns to accept his responsibilities and to face danger honestly. Dr Glover differentiates between hate and anger and between healthy and unhealthy hate, showing that with this awareness man can restrict its evil ‘nfluence and give effective expression to its drive. Finally he has insisted that everyone should become aware of his fundamental values and he suggests that the war-cry should be ” Truth ” in our crusade against physical and mental violence. That Dr Glover does not rest content with having exposed the mechanisms ?f fear, but has shown how courage can be attained and has indicated what are our aims in life, is the best criticism of his book. For these times demand a book such as this which speaks ?f our own feelings and tells of our own experi- ences in simple language and with homely illustrations, thus bringing to the ordinary Person the profundities of psychological thought which after all, as the author states, are really a s?rt of special common sense. L.M.M.
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