Chart of the week special edition
Our new publication "German courage instead of German fear - 44 ideas for a better future" is NOW available in bookshops.
CONVENIENCE, FEAR AND DOUBT - WHY COURAGE OFTEN FALLS BY THE WAYSIDE
Being courageous requires above all Self-confidence, willingness to take responsibility, willingness to take risks and Optimism. Depending on the situation, it is also important, to stand up for one's own convictions or values. Courageous behaviour is realised particularly within the personal environment. But what prevents many Germans from carrying out this behaviour, which is perceived as positive, more often and also outside their immediate environment?
The most frequently cited argument is that Leaving your own comfort zone. Courage means activity, commitment, possible risk, can be arduous and stressful. The opposing poles are passivity, comfort and security. These are qualities that allow you to take it easy in your everyday life. You are satisfied with mastering professional and private challenges and want to make little effort for further tasks. People take an interest in political and social events, sometimes plan to become more involved and dream of personal changes and goals, but in most cases it remains a theoretical thought game of courage and concrete action and realisation.
The thought of the effort and the possible consequences is too daunting for many German citizens to be courageous.
THE MOST COMMON REASONS FOR A LACK OF COURAGE
For two out of five citizens Lack of self-confidence and for each third party a Excessive need for security called. Self-confidence is a key prerequisite for courageous behaviour; if this is not present, even courageous considerations - and even more so courageous decisions - can become a major challenge. In combination with a high need for security and a constant weighing up of possible risks, confident behaviour becomes unlikely.
The majority of German citizens also Fear of failure and Fear of responsibility as major obstacles. An often prevalent fully comprehensive insurance mentality makes life appear to be an all-round secure construct that does not allow for mistakes or failure. Everything seems to take its safe and orderly course. In addition, there is a social tendency towards optimisation and a lack of error culture that provides little room for failure or the risks that are always inherent in courageous behaviour. In this context, the general preference for security and success can lead to an internalised fear of failure. This in turn has a direct influence on how readily and willingly citizens take on responsibility. The idea of exercising personal responsibility in the professional or private sphere is all the more negative, the more obviously a possible failure is seen as a mistake from the outside.
It is the public's responsibility to promote a culture that minimises fears of responsibility and failure and integrates and promotes risks, mistakes and courageous decisions as something positive.
Another obstacle to courage mentioned by a majority is the Fear of the economic and social consequences of action. In the economic sphere, this primarily refers to financial risks, such as the required start-up capital, unsecured income, debts incurred or the lack of security in the event of failure. The fear of not receiving sufficient monetary support and the fear of creditworthiness hurdles often puts an end to many innovative ideas as early as the planning phase. The fear of possible social consequences includes, for example, worries about disputes and conflicts. Courageous behaviour not only means overcoming inner conflicts, but also confrontation in the personal environment, as this is usually directly or indirectly affected.
Two out of five Germans lead negative experiences as an obstacle to courageous action. Numerous studies on strategies and mechanisms that people use to overcome challenges show how important positive experiences are in order to accept challenges and act innovatively. And almost one in three people cite a lack of learning experience as an obstacle to courage. Social reasons are even more important here than negative experiences. From family and school socialisation to a lack of opportunities in student or professional training and everyday working life, younger people in particular complain that they have hardly been given any knowledge and strategies or opportunities to learn or try out courageous behaviour. Yet there are numerous options in these areas, as the family and school environment offers a protected framework within which certain courageous behaviours, such as moral courage and personal responsibility or even bold projects, can be learned, initiated and implemented with relatively little risk. Armed in this way, strengthened by positive feedback, experiences and successes, young people could learn to calculate risks and take possible setbacks or failures as an incentive and internalise a culture that rewards courageous action and sees mistakes and risks not only in a negative light, but rather as a learning process and knowledge advantage for future decisions.
You can find further research results from our publication in our Current research - 300.
And in our Chart of the Week Special CW19, CW20 and CW21: Lack of role models and Generation gap in the choice of role models and What it means to be MUTIG.
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