On the Downside of Heroism: Grey Zone Limitations on the Value of Social and Physical Risk Heroism

Implicit lay views of heroes are overwhelmingly positive and do not focus on the potential problems that may result from heroic behavior. Similarly, a rarely challenged assumption of heroism research is that heroic behavior represents a social good that should be rewarded, encouraged, and even taught. Yet it is not difficult to demonstrate empirically that heroic behavior, regardless of how well intended, can backfire and hurt, rather than help, the would-be helper, the target of helping, and third parties in the background. By extension, training programs that promote heroism can be of questionable value to the extent that they encourage individuals to engage in heroic behaviors that subsequently produce a negative effect. A two-dimensional action-impact matrix is presented that crosses whether or not a hero acts heroically and whether or not he or she has a positive impact to identify four possible actors: the classic hero, meddling hero, meta-hero, and failed hero. Using famous characters from fiction such as Superman and the officers on Star Trek, as well as real life incidents and case studies, the dynamics of the action-impact matrix are identified in order to explore the reasons why a person should not intervene in some instances

The Conspiracy Theory Defense in Response to Whistleblower Accusations: Turning a Hero into a Villain

Whistleblowers can be viewed as heroic actors who reveal institutional misdeeds. In contrast, conspiracy theorists are seen as members of a marginalized element perpetuating misinformation. Despite this apparent difference, the present analysis focuses on how similarities between the two constructs can allow a target to discredit a whistleblower accusation by countering that the whistleblower is operating as part of a conspiracy. More generally, this paper considers how the difficulty inherent in disproving conspiracy theory claims facilitates their utility as a defense. The case study of President Donald Trump’s responses to whistleblower accusations are considered to illustrate the arguments

Monomyth, Transformation and Inspiration: The Hero’s Journey in the Extreme Fitness Exercise Infomercial

The monomyth or hero’s journey is often described as containing the stages of journey, transformation and return. Less attention has focused on a fourth stage, called inspiration, which discusses how the hero can then motivate and mentor a new generation of heroes. The present paper describes how the success stories of people profiled in extreme fitness infomercials can be understood as conforming to the structure of the monomyth. The way in which the infomercials document how the success stories can also be used to motivate and mentor future heroes illustrates the role of inspiration as the final component of the fitness hero’s journey. Ways in which modern technology and social media provide platforms for publicizing stories of fitness transformation are also considered

Monomyth or Monogamyth? Polyamory’s Conceptual Challenges to the Hero’s Journey

In the context of polyamorous relationships, a unicorn can be defined as a single, bisexual woman interested in forming a relationship with a heterosexual couple. Heroism scholars have suggested that the hero’s journey (or monomyth) can be used as a framework for understanding everyone’s life. By extension, it would be possible to frame the search for a receptive unicorn as a hero’s quest. Unicorn hunters are stigmatized by the general public for challenging the monogamyth, i.e., the monogamy norm. They are also criticized by the polyamorous community for privileging their own interests ahead of those of the women they are seeking. By finding a unicorn, a couple may disrupt the stability of their own relationship in addition to harming the unicorn’s well-being. The quest for a unicorn raises a warning about encouraging people to “follow their bliss” because of the possibility of producing collateral damage to the parties involved. In some instances, refraining from undertaking a heroic quest may be the better option

Leadership and Sexuality: Power, Principles and Processes

Although both leadership and sexuality are important and heavily researched topics, there is little work that addresses the interaction of the two areas. Leadership and Sexuality: Power, Principles, and Processes is a scholarly synthesis of leadership principles with issues related to sexuality and sexual policy-making. The authors\u27 multi-disciplinary analysis of the topic examines sexuality in the context of many different kinds of leadership, exploring both the good and the bad aspects of leadership and sexuality. These integrated topics are examined through three broad areas of study. The first involves individuals who become leaders in sexual domains by advancing new views of human sexuality. The second involves problems that leaders of businesses and other institutions must address as a result of issues related to human sexuality, including sexual harassment and sexually-based discrimination in the workplace. The third area involves understanding how being a leader influences sexual desire and sexual attraction, and may impact the course of workplace romance and the expression of sexuality.Written to be accessible to both laypeople and scholars, this book will appeal to academics and scientists interested in human sexuality as well as many related disciplines, including psychology, sociology, leadership studies, heroism science, political science, religion, and economics.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/bookshelf/1309/thumbnail.jp

Pressures to Comply or Defy: How Social Values Influence Perceptions of Healthcare Workers as Villains

During the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians, the media, and the public labeled frontline workers as heroes. The goal of this article is to examine how certain aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic—such as the nature of the Covid-19 virus, coupled with insufficient governmental and institutional responses—created a situation where it became possible for people to characterize healthcare workers as villains. This approach to medical professionals is rather novel in heroism studies and social sciences. A qualitative review of available data sources provided evidence that frontline healthcare workers were perceived negatively. Experiencing a lack of cooperation from patients and their families, healthcare personnel were forced to deal with institutional constraints that exacerbated these conflicts. Variables that could influence being villainized included the social value orientation and political persuasion of perceivers, as well as structural factors related to the transmission of effective and accurate information, including biased mass media presentations and genuine uncertainty from scientific sources

The Dynamic Negotiated Exchange Model of Heroism and Heroic Leadership: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article proposes a new model of heroism and heroic leadership that conceptualizes the exchange relationship between heroic leaders and the recipients of heroic action as dynamic and negotiated. Previous exchange models portraying heroic leadership exchange as static and passive are shown to be inadequate under conditions of major societal upheaval. Underlying the Dynamic Negotiated Exchange (DNE) model is the idea that equitable hero–recipient exchange during times of societal crises becomes strained and subject to negotiated revision. The terms of the negotiation are first manifest in media dialogue and then translate to individual or structural reforms offering more equitable exchange outcomes. To illustrate our model, we use examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, during which dynamic negotiated exchanges are demonstrated in phenomena such as the Great Resignation and the Great Upgrade

Curb Your Heroism: How Larry David, an Old, Bald Misanthrope, Won the Hearts of Millions

For eleven television seasons, viewers of the series Curb Your Enthusiasm have been witness to a main character in Larry David who paradoxically displays attributes that are both endearing and revolting. This article offers an analysis of Larry David’s character with the goal of ascertaining his heroic nature, specifically focusing on whether he best meets the scientific criteria for a hero or for an antihero. Drawing from the literature of heroism science, we examine a large body of evidence from episodes of the series supporting arguments for both heroism and antiheroism in Larry’s character. Consistent with definitions of heroism, Larry manifests deviance, humility, loyalty to principles, and a growth mindset. Yet consistent with antiheroism, Larry shows selfishness, social insensitivity, manipulativeness, and resistance to growth. We conclude that any inconsistencies in his character can be understood through a consideration of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s comedic goals and sensibilities

Editorial: The Art and Science of Heroism and Heroic Leadership

In July of 2016, the lead editor of this Research Topic, Scott Allison, was privileged to have shared the keynote speaking duties with Peter Le Breton at the First Biennial Heroism Science Conference held in Perth, Australia..

Mine or mother’s? Exploring the self-ownership effect across cultures

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