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36 pages 1 hour read

Gavin De Becker

The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1997

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Essay Topics

1.

How would you have defined fear and intuition before reading The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence? How would you define intuition now? According to Gavin de Becker, what makes it different from fear?

2.

What is a personal habit that you found was encouraged or discouraged by the text? Why does de Becker encourage or discourage this habit?

3.

Consider a moment in which you questioned a personal situation. What were your satellites? Did you heed them?

4.

De Becker describes high-profile assassinations as particularly impactful because of their cultural impact. What is one such killing that you learned about from the media? How did this killing impact your worldview?

5.

In what ways might the internet have changed de Becker’s writing of the text? How does the internet affect intuition?

6.

In what ways are de Becker’s arguments universal? What contemporary questions arose in your mind as you read the text?

7.

How do you feel about the way gender is represented in the text? Does de Becker’s approach to gender limit his arguments?

8.

In discussing intuition and social cues, does de Becker consider individuals with neurodivergence at all? How so?

9.

Given the reach of social media, it has become more common for public figures to interact with fans, and vice versa. What are the dangers of both dynamics? Is one dynamic more dangerous than the other?

10.

Given the ubiquity of home and online surveillance, everyday life has seemingly become safer. With that said, how has technology made unwanted surveillance more prevalent? How might technology interfere with intuition?

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