ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors argue that Fright and Panic occur when anxiety has been aroused too late for the individual to avoid direct confrontation with some danger, and that Shock and Trauma occur when something totally unexpected happens so that 'the shell of one's immediate future' is invaded without any premonitory signs which could have evoked vigilance and anxiety. An infantile traumatic experience is one which was not represented in the shell of the child's immediate future nor in his general scheme of the nature of reality. An example of a shocking and frightening experience which is not preceded by anxiety is the nightmare. The nightmare was, one might say, due to a failure of vigilance and self-awareness in respect of the inevitable and age-old conflict between fathers and sons.
