The war has produced many new words or usages of old words. Among such old words is one that has taken on meanings and a familiarity that did not exist in prewar days, namely, morale. According to former usage, morale has been defined as a state of mind pertaining to courage, valor and enthusiasm, used in relation to bodies of soldiers or sailors. Such a definition can hardly be called a definition, as it does little to advance one's knowledge concerning the meaning of the term.
Of course it is difficult to define the abstract in concrete terms, but the following definition of morale may be considered. Morale is a state of mind or consciousness conducive to the control of conduct by intellectual ideals rather than by instinctive impulses. In other words, when the emotional element in a person's consciousness becomes dominant and his conduct is governed by instinctive reactions