The author proposes that fear and anger are innate defensive mechanisms mobilized by preceived threats to the individual. Both mechanisms are accompanied by anxiety and an urge to escape or attack. The individual's lifestyle, which is the result of interaction between his innate qualities and life experiences, determines whether he will attempt to deal with threats, his fear and/or anger, and the resulting anxiety in an objective or pathological manner. This formulation underscores the need to learn methods of coping with anger and fear from early childhood, so that they do not develop into pathological behavior patterns.