The M-word

Abstract

Morale is somehow an old-fashioned word. It was the thing senior officers enquired of their subalterns: ‘How’s morale with the troops, Archie?’ The dictionary definition implies three important things about morale. First, it is both a ‘mental and emotional condition’: that is, morale in medieval language is located in both the head and the heart. Second, this condition has various components such as confidence, enthusiasm and loyalty. Third, it can be both the property of individuals and groups with respect to their job or immediate task.