The Gift of Fear
"Threats betray the speaker by proving that he has failed to influence events in any other way. Most often they represent desperation, not intention."
— Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear (1997)
Introduction
| The Gift of Fear | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Full title | The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence |
| Author | Gavin de Becker |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Personal safety; Threat assessment; Violence prevention |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Self-help |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
Publication date | 1 June 1997 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 334 |
| ISBN | 978-0-316-23502-0 |
| Goodreads rating | 4.2/5 (as of 28 October 2025) |
| Website | hachettebookgroup.com |
The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence is a nonfiction book on personal safety by Gavin de Becker.[1] It was first published in the United States by Little, Brown and Company on 1 June 1997.[2] The first-edition hardcover comprises 334 pages.[3] Its first-edition ISBN-13 is 978-0-316-23502-0.[3] The book emphasizes trusting intuition and recognizing “pre-incident indicators” to anticipate and avoid violence.[4]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Dell paperback edition (1999).[5]
🚨 1 – In the presence of danger.
🔮 2 – Technology of intuition.
🎓 3 – Academy of prediction.
📢 4 – Survival signals.
🕵️ 5 – Imperfect strangers.
🎲 6 – High-stakes predictions.
⚔️ 7 – Promises to kill (understanding threats).
🔁 8 – Persistence, persistence (dealing with people who refuse to let go).
🧑💼 9 – Occupational hazards (violence in the workplace).
💔 10 – Intimate enemies (domestic violence).
🌹 11 – I was trying to let him down easy (date stalking).
🧒 12 – Fear of children (violent children).
👮 13 – Better to be wanted by the police than not to be wanted at all (attacks against public figures).
☢️ 14 – Extreme hazards.
🎁 15 – Gift of fear.
Related content & more
YouTube videos
CapSach articles
References
- ↑ "The gift of fear : survival signals that protect us from violence". Library of Congress Online Catalog. Library of Congress. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Gift of Fear (Hardcover)". Little, Brown and Company. Little, Brown and Company. 1 June 1997. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The gift of fear : survival signals that protect us from violence". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ "The Gift of Fear (Back Bay Books)". Hachette Book Group. Back Bay Books. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
- ↑ "The gift of fear : survival signals that protect us from violence". Colorado Mountain College Library Catalog. Colorado Mountain College. Retrieved 28 October 2025.