PSYCHOLOGY OF FUNK

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 93, 12 January 1918, Page 12

PSYCHOLOGY OF FUNK

AIR RAIDS AND'TRENOH NERVES.

I cannot help thinking (writes a soldier in tho London "Morning Post") that too much has appeared Jn tho Press about danger from air raids and not enough on the psychology of funk. Fear in uir raids is largely attributable to the false sense of values and to suggestion. ' ' A little common sense, combined with an appreciation of the comparative casualties in London from bombs and from street accidents, should put the former right, .but the latter can be dealt- with only when the , more intelligent members of tho public can be persuaded that it is tho.duty of each and every one to cultivate a robust mental attitude towards. danger, and to impose it, as far as lies in their power, on others. People should inform themselves as shortly and unemotionally aB possible how best .to avoid unnecessary danger. But the precautionary frame of mind should'be a practical one and not made an excuse for unedifying chatter on dangers and horrors. Having once posted themselves, people should -avoid all talk of danger. and cultivate the robust mental attitude. .For those to w.hom this is not natural the strengthening influence of robust minds should be sought. This discussion of the dangers and horrors of air raids-is a form of intensive 1 " cultivation of funk. To see how .true this is one has only to consider the cape of ghosts aiid ghost stories. Those of who heartily disbelieve in ghosts can be made extremely uncomfortable bv the process of sitting in tho dark telling and hearing ghost stories. On the other hand, trained troops face the most terrible .dangers without unduo emotion, even the first time. I attribute this to the cultivation, during their training to a Spartan frame of mind. All through their military career conversation on the subject of danger is taboo. References to it are couched in facetious language, .and each man obeying an instinct of noblesse oblige refuses to admit to others, or to himself that', ho is more scared titan his neighbour'. It is this which strengthens and upholds these men. The main thing is to distract people. Interest in the proceedings is excellent, and 'a sense of humour is seldom so deeply buried as to be inaccessible. A good instanco of this is a ridiculous 'little scheme I found of great valine •in France. When new men were going out on .patrol I usually took them out the first time myself. Creeping along in tho dark on hands and knees in No Main's Land is as cold-blooded a. game as I have come across. I knew from my own experience that each of them saw a Boche in every bush, and one could almost hear the men's hearts beating. After a bit I would stop and, pointing to a. clump of thistles, would ask them in a sepulchral wliispor if they could see those Germans just ahead. Their Warts would almost stop beating as they inquired if they really weni Germans. "Let's throw a lump of mud and see," heaving a clod in .jhat direction. The reaction from this seem--ingly stupid little performance had the most successful results, and tho reawakened sense of humour enabled them to go on with' lightened hearts and a now and bolder view of things. Tho human race is very imitative. Each looks around and takes his cue from those about him. So it is up to all of us to conduct ourselves in times of danger that those around us shall gain comfort and courage from our presence and to beware lest some carelessly spoken remark may have the effect of further scaring our flabbier noighbonrs, i