The role of courage on behavioral approach in a fear-eliciting situation: A proof-of-concept pilot study
Norton and Weiss set out to test a definition of courage that treats it as behaviour rather than feeling: approaching something despite being afraid, rather than not being afraid. Thirty-two people who had reported strong fear of spiders completed a courage questionnaire and then a behavioural test, approaching a display of preserved tarantulas and stopping wherever they became uncomfortable. Once their level of spider fear was accounted for, courage scores still predicted how close they got. Two people equally afraid differed in how far they went, and the questionnaire caught that difference. The authors are modest about what a pilot study with thirty-two participants shows, and propose the obvious next questions: whether courage predicts willingness to undertake exposure therapy, and whether it can be built up before treatment rather than assumed. This vault cites it for the definition, since it separates courage from fearlessness in a way that can actually be measured.
Norton and Weiss set out to test a definition of courage that treats it as behaviour rather than feeling: approaching something despite being afraid, rather than not being afraid. Thirty-two people who had reported strong fear of spiders completed a courage questionnaire and then a behavioural test, approaching a display of preserved tarantulas and stopping wherever they became uncomfortable. Once their level of spider fear was accounted for, courage scores still predicted how close they got. Two people equally afraid differed in how far they went, and the questionnaire caught that difference. The authors are modest about what a pilot study with thirty-two participants shows, and propose the obvious next questions: whether courage predicts willingness to undertake exposure therapy, and whether it can be built up before treatment rather than assumed. This vault cites it for the definition, since it separates courage from fearlessness in a way that can actually be measured.
Written from the abstract, Europe PMC.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
Norton, P. J. & Weiss, B. J. (2009). "The role of courage on behavioral approach in a fear-eliciting situation: a proof-of-concept pilot study." Journal of Anxiety Disorders. N = 32.
Where we use it
- The Courage Problem, Why We Act
Reliability of this reference
The link below was matched against the publisher's record on title, first author and year, and all three agree.
The source
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.07.002
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2008.07.002