danger

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noun

Exposure to possible harm, loss, or injury: endangerment, hazard, imperilment, jeopardy, peril, risk. See safety/danger.

n

Definition: hazard, troublesome situation
Antonyms: care, carefulness, guard, preservation, safety, security

As with many concepts a tentative definition of danger is based on its use in ordinary language: it signifies either a situation or set of circumstances that compromise the security or existence of a person or thing. Aside from the past or present, it can include future situations, that is, threats or risks having a high probability of realization. This definition likewise concerns threats to the operation of the mind.

The term "danger" appeared for the first time in Freud's writings in an article entitled "On the Grounds for Detaching a Particular Syndrome from Neurasthenia under the Description 'Anxiety Neurosis"' (1895b [1894]). Freud used it to define an external situation likely to provoke emotional and structural reactions. The danger forces the psychic apparatus to ensure the stability of its organization by implementing defensive measures intended to avoid a catastrophic disturbance (psychic trauma).

There are two dimensions to the concept: (1) In terms of clinical treatment and theory, it implies the existence of two spaces, an external space with its own reality and an internal space that is part of what Freud named psychic reality (related to the later concept of reality-testing). (2) It entails the need to consider temporal differences, quantitative aspects, and specific effects. "Danger" refers to a situation that may have been accidental or contingent, consciously experienced, or unconscious.

This picture was later refined in Freud's work, but it retained its initial features. Situations involving danger came to be viewed as more internalized and more specific: the dangers of separation and object-loss, of castration, of uncontrollable drives, of threats from an internal object. With the development of the second theory of anxiety, the concept of danger became more ambiguous, almost completely identified with the anxiety that signaled its presence. However, it is essential to distinguish clearly between the affects of anxiety (Angst), fright (Schreck), and fear (Furcht), each of which reflects a specific relationship to danger.

The notion of danger still has to be used with caution, especially in view of the inevitable and necessary evolution of psychoanalytic language, which now emphasizes psychic envelopes, the therapeutic setting, or a topography of "interfaces"rather than the older metapsychological models. There is also a risk of confusion with concepts from cognitive psychology and neurobiology (such as the concept of "stress," for example).

Bibliography

Dayan, Maurice. (1985). Inconscient et réalité. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

Freud, Sigmund. (1895b [1894]). On the grounds for detaching a particular syndrome from neurasthenia under the description "Anxiety Neurosis." SE, 3: 85-115.

Laplanche, Jean. (1980-87). Problématiques. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

—CLAUDE BARROIS

A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce

n.

    A savage beast which, when it sleeps,
        Man girds at and despises,
    But takes himself away by leaps
        And bounds when it arises.
                                                          Ambat Delaso

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IN BRIEF: Something that may cause harm.

There is always danger for those who are afraid of it.

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sign description: Both A handshapes together, one quickly move up and over the shoulder.

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Quotes:

"Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow." - Aesop

"Every man is his own chief enemy." - Anacharsis

"I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them." - Clara Barton

"Dangers bring fears, and fears more dangers bring." - Richard Baxter

"The most dangerous people are the ignorant." - Henry Ward Beecher

"It is better to do thine own duty, however lacking in merit, than to do that of another, even though efficiently. It is better to die doing one's own duty, for to do the duty of another is fraught with danger." - Bhagavad Gita

See more famous quotes about Danger

Any kind of danger signal in a dream may be warning the dreamer to be more cautious in some aspect of life. Other components of the dream should help indicate where the dreamer should exercise more caution.

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See words rhyming with "danger."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Danger.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - fare, stopsignal

idioms:

• danger list    liste over kritisk syge patienter
• danger money    risikotillæg
• out of danger    uden for fare

Nederlands (Dutch)
gevaar

Français (French)
n. - danger, péril

idioms:

• danger list    (être) dans un état critique
• danger money    (Méd) être dans un état critique/très grave
• in danger of    menacé de, risquer de, en danger de
• out of danger    hors de danger

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gefahr

idioms:

• danger list    Liste der Kranken in Lebensgefahr
• danger money    Gefahrenzuschlag
• in danger of    Gefahr laufen, etwas zu tun, drohen, etwas zu tun
• out of danger    außer Gefahr

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κίνδυνος, απειλή

idioms:

• danger list    (ιατρ.) κατάσταση βαρέως νοσούντων ή τραυματιών
• danger money    επίδομα επικίνδυνης ή ανθυγιεινής εργασίας
• out of danger    εκτός κινδύνου

Italiano (Italian)
pericolo

idioms:

• danger list    in pericolo, malato molto grave
• danger money    indennità di rischio
• out of danger    fuori pericolo
• smell danger    sentire odore di bruciato, fiutare il pericolo

Português (Portuguese)
n. - perigo (m)

idioms:

• danger list    lista de pacientes em risco de vida
• danger money    adicional por insalubridade
• out of danger    fora de perigo
• smell danger    parecer perigoso

Русский (Russian)
опасность, угроза

idioms:

• danger list    критическое состояние
• danger money    надбавка за риск
• out of danger    вне опасности
• smell danger    чуять опасность

Español (Spanish)
n. - peligro, riesgo, amenaza física

idioms:

• danger list    estado grave/crítico
• danger money    prima o plus de peligrosidad
• in danger of    correr el riego de
• out of danger    fuera de peligro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - fara, risk, livsfara

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
危险, 威胁, 危险物

idioms:

• danger list    病危病人名单
• danger money    危险工作津贴
• out of danger    脱险

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 危險, 威脅, 危險物

idioms:

• danger list    病危病人名單
• danger money    危險工作津貼
• out of danger    脫險

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 위험[상태], 위협

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 危険, 危険なもの, 脅威

idioms:

• danger list    重症入院患者名薄
• danger money    危険手当
• out of danger    危険を脱して

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خطر‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סכנה‬

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