He suggested that this aspect of Canadian identity was formed through the population’s history and experience with vast wilderness, early settlement and growth in multiculturalism. The garrison mentality was first coined by literary critic Northrop Frye in his 'Conclusion' to the Literary History of Canada (1965). Northrop Frye in 1984, who first coined the term 'garrison mentality'. Authors and artists themselves can also use these characteristics as thematic concerns for their work.

Their personalities and behaviours may be moulded by the world they inhabit. Such characters may also be influenced by their environments to a great degree. This garrison mentality typically manifests in characters of literature and media, who exhibit any of the above characteristics.

A tendency to antagonise empty or wild landscapes.

A tendency to invent more difficulties for oneself than necessary.

A tendency to revere law and order, as they act as protective institutions from nature and hostile societies.

Feeling overwhelmed concerning hostile political and physical landscapes.

Feeling a sense of physical, mental, social, linguistic, and cultural isolation.

Feeling inferior and oppressed by other nations, especially America.

Feeling exiled from one’s own identity and the land they live on.The garrison mentality is suggested to entail various characteristics, such as: For example, the unknown wilderness and cold emptiness of Canada’s landscape during settlement is suggested to have caused such qualities, as isolating oneself from a dangerous environment is safer than attempting to tame it. The garrison mentality posits that unaccommodating external environments in Canada, whether they be physical or political, have influenced the psyche of its inhabitants to make them introspective and defensive.

Painting by Edward Walsh from 1803–1807, depicting the upper Canadian wilderness closing off a small village from the rest of society.

Garrison meaning