Reading done on May 6, 2019
"Why Heroism Exists from: Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership"
- bySara Kafashan, Adam Sparks, Amanda Rotella, Pat Barclay - September 29 2016
- Routledge
- Routledge Handbooks
- accessed on May 6, 2019
The authors define "heroes" as "those who incur costs (e.g., risk of injury or death; or significant sacrifices such as time, money, or other forms of personal loss) to deliver greater-than-expected benefits to others (Baumard & Boyer, 2013). That is, among many actors who engage in behaviors of a given cost, heroes are those who deliver many more benefits to others. Typically these costs are incurred by the hero without certainty and/or negotiated expectation of direct future rewards" (Kafashan et al. 2016, 37).
They claim that "[t]here are various types of heroes. Prototypical heroes are characterized by physical feats, bravery, and high risks of serious injury or death, such as war heroes or individuals who save others from peril. Folklore heroes such as Superman and Batman are deemed heroic for similar reasons: Their (fictive) willingness and superior ability to incur potentially high costs (e.g., deadly fights with various villains) to save others from danger and threat" (Kafashan et al. 2016, 37).
Some of the questions they try to look into are:
- What desirable traits do heroes possess? And
- If there is the advertising of some traits deemed more heroic than others?
(Kafashan et al. 2016, 41).
"[T]he most prominently advertised traits: Physical abilities, resources, and intelligence" (Kafashan et al. 2016, 41).
The authors discuss the notion that in advertising, "heroism is defined by physically risky behaviors that benefit another individual or others. This definition is consistent with the popular conception of superheroes, such as Superman and Batman, who put themselves in physical harm’s way to help others" (Kafashan et al. 2016, 42).
Finally, they When heroism is better publicized, it enhances the reputational incentives necessary for heroism to spread. This is more than people blindly imitating what others do: audiences will also see the recognition that heroes receive, which gives them good reason to preferentially imitate heroes.(Kafashan et al. 2016, 51).