Hero - Psychology of Heroism

Psychology of Heroism

Social psychology has begun paying attention to heroes and heroism. A work by Zeno Franco and Philip Zimbardo points out differences between heroism and altruism, and they offer evidence that observers' perceptions of unjustified risk plays a role, above and beyond risk type, in determining the ascription of heroic status.

An evolutionary psychology explanation for heroic risk-taking is that it is a costly signal demonstrating the ability of the hero. It can be seen as one form of altruism for which there are also several other evolutionary explanations.

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