one of the five ways in which a human being reacts toward a source of danger. The term derives its name from an example given in the book Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. A particularly blacktempered black panther is sitting on the stairs and a man named Gus is sitting in the living room. Gus wants to go to bed. But there is the black panther. The problem is to getupstairs. There are five things that Gus can do about this panther: (1) he can go attack the black panther; (2) he canrun out of the house and flee the black panther; (3) he can use the back stairs and avoid the black panther; (4) he can neglect the black panther; and (5) he cansuccumb to the black panther. These are the five mechanisms: attack, flee, avoid, neglect or succumb. All actions can be seen to fall within these courses. —BasicDictionary of Dianetics and Scientology (Health and Certainty) Final approval 4/11/89