I think understanding "this" in javascript is actually much easier if you have had exposure to C++ function tables. With that knowledge in hand, it immediately

I think understanding "this" in javascript is actually much easier if you have had exposure to C++ function tables. With that knowledge in hand, it immediately becomes obvious that: bar.baz = function(){console.log(this.X)} var foo = bar.baz; foo(); Is not going to result in a console log of bar.X. "foo" is a pointer-to-member function, and executing it without a context is going to cause problems. The biggest in javascript as compared to c++ is that javascript will always provide the hidden "this" (even if it's the global context), whereas c++ will always bail out if you don't provide it with a proper context. But really, understanding that behind the scenes, member function calls change: A.B(C) into B(A, C) clears up a lot of "this" mistakes, and also enlightens the proper usage of function.bind.