Editing Courage (section)

==Characteristics of courage==
===Fear and confidence in relation to courage===
According to Professor Daniel Putman, "courage involves deliberate choice in the face of painful or fearful circumstances for the sake of a worthy goal".{{sfn|Putman|2001}} With this realization, Putman concludes that "there is a close connection between fear and confidence".{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=464}}
Fear and confidence in relation to courage can determine the success of a courageous act or goal.{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=463}} They can be seen as independent variables in courage, and their relationship can affect how we respond to fear.{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=466}} The confidence that is being discussed here is self-confidence; confidence in knowing one's skills and abilities and being able to determine when to fight fear or when to flee it.{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=465}} Putman states that: "The ideal in courage is not just a rigid control of fear, nor is it a denial of the emotion. The ideal is to judge a situation, accept the emotion as part of human nature and, we hope, use well-developed habits to confront the fear and allow reason to guide our behavior toward a worthwhile goal."{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=465}}

According to Putman, Aristotle refers to an appropriate level of fear and confidence in courage.{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=465}} "Fear, although it might vary from person to person, is not completely relative and is only appropriate if it 'matches the danger of the situation'".{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=465}} The same goes for confidence in that there are two aspects to self-confidence in a dangerous situation:
# "A realistic confidence in the worth of a cause that motivates positive action."
# "Knowing our own skills and abilities. A second meaning of appropriate confidence then is a form of self-knowledge."{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=465}}

Without an appropriate balance between fear and confidence when facing a threat, one cannot have the courage to overcome it. Professor Daniel Putman states "if the two emotions are distinct, then excesses or deficiencies in either fear or confidence can distort courage".{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=467}} Courage does not mean that you are not afraid, it means that you are willing to face the challenges that lay ahead of you.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 2001 |title=William Ian Miller "The Mystery of Courage" (review) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/ahr/106.5.1749 |journal=The American Historical Review |doi=10.1086/ahr/106.5.1749 |issn=1937-5239|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Possible distortions of courage===
According to Putman, there are four possible ways courage could be distorted:{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=467}}
#"Higher level of fear than a situation calls for, low level of confidence". Someone like this would be perceived as a coward;
#"Excessively low level of fear when real fear is an appropriate, excessively high level of confidence". Someone like this would be perceived as [[Recklessness (psychology)|foolhardy]];
#"Excessively high level of fear, yet the confidence is also excessively high". The third possibility can occur if someone experienced a traumatic experience that brought about great anxiety for much of their life. Then they fear that their experience would often be inappropriate and excessive. Yet as a defensive mechanism, the person would show excessive levels of confidence as a way to confront their irrational fear and "prove" something to oneself or another. So this distortion could be seen as a coping method for their fear.
#"Excessively low level of fear and low level of confidence". For the last possibility, it can be seen as hopelessness or fatalism.

Thus, Putman identifies fear and courage as being deeply intertwined and that they rely on distinct perceptions: "the danger of the situation", "the worthiness of the cause", "and the perception of one's ability".{{sfn|Putman|2001|pp=467}}