In traditional shock cases, this is generally the relieving of pain from injuries or the stopping of blood loss. In an acute stress reaction, this may be pulling a rescuer away from the emergency to calm down, or blocking the sight of an injured friend from a patient.
With this system, Pericles succeeded in keeping the courts full of jurors (Ath. Pol. 27.3), and in giving the people experience in public life. As Athens' ruler, he made the city the first and most important polis of the Greek world, acquiring a resplendent culture and democratic institutions.
Thus by the time Athens had reached its height in the 430's BC, its greatest democratic leader, Pericles, could quite reasonably declare: 'Our whole city is an education, for our citizens excel all men in versatility, resourcefulness and brilliance'.