In the midst of atrocities, there is the silent presence of the brave individuals who act and stand apart from the crowd, who risk their own lives by rescuing others and, in other ways, by voicing their dissent. The actions of these exceptional individuals raise questions as to why they were able to do what they did and why other people don’t. But if we look closer at the histories of these individuals, what we discover is that they may not be as exceptional as we think and that bravery takes different forms in different contexts. Clinical material of a young male patient, a war hero struggling to separate from his refugee parents, illustrates the role of the ego ideal, insofar as it is consonant with innate morality, as the primary factor motivating acts of bravery. The compulsion to act bravely is largely ascribed to conscience, that is, being at one with oneself. Those who act bravely do not feel they have a choice because not to act is experienced as a betrayal of self. As such, bravery is a fundamental assertion not only of the self but of a moral order necessary to sustain the self.
As well as bravery, Coline Covington investigates the concept of patriotism and what it truly means – a vital discussion for these turbulent times – and how each of us discovers our identity, as individuals but also within groups. Dr Covington is well placed to explore these questions with her BA in Political Philosophy from Princeton, her Diploma in Criminology from Cambridge, and her PhD in Sociology from LSE. Add to these her analytic training and fellowship of International Dialogue Initiative (IDI), and you are left with a thoughtful, perceptive, and sensitive discussion that is a joy to read.
Table of Contents:
About the author
Preface
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
Identity and what it means to be true to oneself
CHAPTER TWO
No choice but to act: the role of self-agency in bravery
CHAPTER THREE
The good citizen: traditions of bravery and dissent from Plato to the present
CHAPTER FOUR
My country, my self: separation, identity and dissonance
CHAPTER FIVE
Patriotism: living and dying for one’s country
CHAPTER SIX
Defying mortality: the shadow of bravery
CHAPTER SEVEN
Belief and dissent: whistle blowers, conscientious objectors, and saying no
CHAPTER EIGHT
Braving the new: the struggle from loss to agency
Epilogue
Index
About the Author :
Coline Covington, PhD, BPC received her BA in Political Philosophy from Princeton and then moved to the UK where she received her Diploma in Criminology from Cambridge and her PhD in Sociology from LSE. She worked for nearly ten years as a consultant with criminal justice agencies throughout England and set up the first UK mediation project between victims and juvenile offenders with the Metropolitan Police in London.
Coline is a Training Analyst of the Society of Analytical Psychology and the British Psychotherapy Foundation and former Chair of the British Psychoanalytic Council. She is a Fellow of International Dialogue Initiative (IDI), a think tank formed by Professor Vamık Volkan, Lord Alderdice, and Dr Robi Friedman to apply psychoanalytic concepts in resolving political conflict.
From 2011 to 2013, Coline was Visiting Research Fellow in International Politics and Development at the Open University and Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC.
Coline’s publications include Terrorism and War: Unconscious Dynamics of Political Violence (Karnac, 2002), Shrinking the News: Headline Stories on the Couch (Karnac, 2014), Sabina Spielrein: Forgotten Pioneer of Psychoanalysis (2nd edition, Routledge, 2015), and Everyday Evils: A Psychoanalytic View of Evil and Morality (Routledge, 2017).
Coline is in private practice in London.
Review :
Coline Covington brings wisdom and fresh insights into a study of the question of identity, which has become, with the retreat of ideological politics, one of the most important factors in international affairs. She is fascinating in her discussion of the relationships between nationalism and patriotism and of courage – both physical and mental – with the wider question of identity. This is a relevant and thought-provoking book which looks beyond the familiar arguments about nation states and globalization.
This is one of the most important books in the field of psychoanalytic studies to appear in many years. Bringing her penetrating insights and extensive clinical experience to bear on such fascinating topics as bravery and heroism, identity, belief systems, dissent, and the capacity for change, Coline Covington has explored the psychological roots of these important, but much neglected, issues in a way that is both illuminating and novel. Focusing on the strengths and resources of the human personality as well as its limitations, she has written a remarkable book, one that breaks new ground and presents us with a gift that we will long cherish.
A fascinating and scholarly exploration of what it is to be alive in a world riven by moral and political disorder, and of how we navigate between our own natures and the dilemmas and pressures we are confronted with. Drawing on a wide range of literary, historical, and clinical sources, and on topics that range from nationalism to immigration, heroism to inequality, Coline Covington has written an important book on the steps we take to hold on to our own identity and sanity. For Goodness Sake is a celebration of the nature of courage.
In this powerful and subtle study, Coline Covington delves deeply into the individual and collective roots of bravery, and distinguishes between courage and recklessness, cowardice and self-preservation. Combining psychoanalytic insight and philosophical analysis, she eloquently explores our profound need for moral meaning, and for living in societies which permit its expression. A book for our time, reminding us of timeless values which we ignore at our peril.
‘In this thought-provoking book, Coline Covington brings together her expertise as a fellow of Vamik Volkan’s International Dialogue Initiative with her considerable experience of working as an analyst. Using compassionate and exquisitely written case studies, she moves seamlessly from the personal to the political and vice versa. […] the book’s argument about the psychic consequences of being complicit in acts of harm is very prescient. I thoroughly recommend it.'
'This is a highly textured and carefully thought through piece of writing that examines the nature of bravery as illustrated partly by clinical work and partly by cultural commentary informed by both psychoanalysis and the social sciences. Writing the book is itself brave in its attempt to understand the contemporary world holistically through the lens of what it means to act ethically and take responsibility.'
