What qualities make a person heroic?

[Elfboy]

what do you think makes a person trully heroic?

 

[FDG]

An extreme amount of courage coupled with a tinge of self-sacrifice.

 

[Viridian]

Resilience, bravery, compassion, willingness to face one's fears, responsibility, a bit of humility and a spoonful of altruism.

 

[Elfboy]

could you (either of you) elaborate on why altruism is heroic?

 

[Viridian]

Well, sometimes you need to sacrifice your own comfort/personal gain for the sake of a higher cause... Like how Gandhi gave up his life as a defense attorney to become an activism for social change.

 

[Santosha]

I have a hard time deciding if pure altruism even exists.

"Pure altruism is giving up a value (a reward or benefit) with no expectation of any compensation or benefits, either direct, or indirect (for instance from recognition of the giving"

I believe most people give to better society (thus bettering their society) or they give because they feel like it is the right thing to do (thus they still receive a benefit-- the benefit of believing they did a good deed).

Pure altrusism would basically have to be an act that you had no idea of. Because as soon as you are aware of the act, you have received a benefit.

If it did exist (which is still questionable to me) it would have to be perceived as heroic by others, but not the person.

hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

I suppose giving up your life in an attempt to better it for someone else could be seen as the most heroic act, and the closest to altruistic, though one might still receive the benefit of believing they did the right thing, or the benefit of knowing their death would be heroic.

 

[Vasilisa]

Walking the Line Between Good and Evil: The Common Thread of Heroes and Villains

I read this months ago and considered posting it on TypoC. I am not so sure I agree, but I offer it up as grist for the mill.

Walking the Line Between Good and Evil: The Common Thread of Heroes and Villains

By Andrea Kuszewski (Guest Blogger)
Andrea Kuszewski is a Behavior Therapist and Consultant for children on the autism spectrum, residing in Florida; her expertise is in Asperger’s Syndrome, or high-functioning autism.
Mar 31, 2011 11:34 AM
Scientific American Blog
​

Excerpt:
Mythology, science fiction and comic books are chock full of stories of heroes and their battles against the ills of society—the eternal struggle between good and evil. We are meant to view these two main characters—the Hero and the Villain—as opposites on the spectrum of ethics and morality. But are they really so different when you look at their individual traits and behaviors?

Contrary to popular belief, right and wrong, moral and immoral, ethical and unethical—are not always on opposite ends of the spectrum of good and evil. In addition, the people who fight for the cause on either side may not always look or act like the one you would expect. Science may finally give some support to the old saying: There is a fine line between good and evil.

What is Heroism?​

In the days following the devastating earthquake in Japan, word quickly spread about heroism displayed across the region—from the 50 brave nuclear workers, "The Fukushima 50" who stayed behind after evacuation in a valiant attempt to prevent further disaster, to a man who donned scuba gear and went into the tsunami to rescue his wife and mother, as well as other (sometimes a bit tall) tales of men and women who fearlessly put themselves on the line to help others in the midst of that tragedy.

Would we consider all of these people heroes, or were these just ordinary men and women who rose to the occasion? Is there something else that plays a role—a specific personality type—that makes people more likely to engage in very heroic acts?

While in the case of Japan it is likely a combination of factors, such as culture and situational rise to heroism, there is a specific personality type that is more likely to engage in extremely heroic behavior. Interestingly, this type of person is also very likely to be the kind of impulsive, argumentative person that readily breaks rules, acts impulsively, challenges authority—but all for the sake of good. These extreme heroes do not fit the image of the kind, peaceful, non-aggressive hero, like the Dalai Lama—in fact, they may not always be the most pleasant people to be around; they tend to be the ones who always stir up trouble or rock the boat, the whistleblowers. But they are the most important types of heroes to support, because they have the highest potential to do extremely good works.

Am I saying that the world’s greatest heroes are also some of the most hard-headed, rebellious, not-necessarily-law-abiding rule-breakers by nature? Yes, I am. Not only that, there may be a genetic link between these extreme heroes and those least expected to act heroically—the Sociopath. This person is called the Extreme Altruist, or X-Altruist.

Heroism to the Extreme​

A hero is someone who goes out of their way to help others at the expense of their own safety and well-being. This could mean getting fired from a job, arrested, injured, or even facing death. More than just an altruist, who has selfless concern for the welfare of others, a hero takes action—usually bold action.

Right now I prefer to use the term "Extreme Altruist", or X-Altruist, rather than "Hero", because a person can rate very high on a scale of altruism without ever engaging in a heroic act; I am speaking here of the personality type, not necessarily the actions committed by the person. The X-Altruist is the most extreme type of hero; the one who takes the highest risks, with a lot to lose, putting their safety and welfare on the line—and does it time and time again. To an X-Altruist, heroism is a way of life, a daily state of being, a temperament.

< read the entire essay >

 

[Viridian]

I guess I was using "altruism" in a more colloquial sense... I didn't mean to turn this into another ethics discussion.

 

[SilkRoad]

Being brave and resolute in the face of dangers, even those you find really frightening - courage isn't the absence of fear, it's facing fears; unselfishness, putting your family, the common good, etc ahead of your own needs and comfort.

Plus I like mountain climbers and Gladiator-style warriors, but sometimes it's a fine line between heroism and stupidity

 

[rav3n]

As a cynic about the "heroic" term, everyone has the ability to be altruistic. But you'll find that most aren't sincerely altruistic since there's personal gain involved even if it's only an internal dopamine hit of "I dun gud".

As expressed in another thread, the real heroes or altruists are the ones who facilitate altruistic acts, shut up about it and don't pat themselves on the back for their actions. More along the lines of "this must be addressed" and doing it without fanfare.

 

[ReflecTcelfeR]

I'm very glad for those Dopamine receptors... Without them no one would continue to be altruistic.

 

[Octarine]

It is the act that makes the hero, not the personal characteristics. Different acts could be associated with different characteristics.
I don' t think there is a predictive model, but if I had to choose, I'd say:

Has/had a comfortable life materially.
Has a deep bond with the person/people they are doing the 'heroic' act for.
Average level of intelligence.
Prone to restlessness, aggressive and or risk taking behaviour.
Has a tendency either to be impulsive, or to irrationally fixate on a particular course of action with single mindedness.
Egotistical nature (believes that their actions will succeed to either make a difference, or increase their social standing).
Self-righteousness.

But there are plenty of people with those characteristics who we don't consider heroes, because we discriminate differently on what we believe to be a heroic act.

 

[rav3n]

@ ReflecT, the relaxation response to fight or flight.

 

[Elfboy]

I'm going to agree that altruism is not heroic. whether you value altruism or have disdain for it (I'll save my qualms for an objectivist debate), altruism is a quite common and ordinary occurence.
it's politically incorrect to say (surprise lol) but I think that hardly anyone is heroic. to me, heroism demands
- willingness to go against everything you've been taught and everyone you know
- a sense of integrity, class and nobility
- a sense of passion and conviction
- a willingness to stand up to anything (at least internally. it is not required that you openly flip off a dictator and get yourself killed to be considered heroic)
- lack of passivity
- doing something that is out of the ordinary, unconventional and makes an impact. there is no such thing as an ordinary hero
to me, most people are too conventional, passive, compliant, and dry to be heroic. I think true heroism is a very rare trait

 

[Viridian]

- a sense of integrity, class and nobility

Are you saying poor or non-elite people can't be heroic?

- doing something that is out of the ordinary, unconventional and makes an impact. there is no such thing as an ordinary hero

What about police officers, firefighters, soldiers, or Red Cross members? They seem like "ordinary heroes" to me...

to me, most people are too conventional, passive, compliant, and dry to be heroic. I think true heroism is a very rare trait

Do you know someone IRL that has those characteristics? I'm curious...

 

[Elfboy]

Are you saying poor or non-elite people can't be heroic?

no, poor people can still have class and noble character and be heroic.

What about police officers, firefighters, soldiers, or Red Cross members? They seem like "ordinary heroes" to me...

they don't seem like heroes to me. they seem like good helpers, caregivers and servers. they do a lot of good for society, but they are not heroes.

Do you know someone IRL that has those characteristics? I'm curious...

only a few. like I said, I don't believe it's common to have a heroic personality

 

[Rasofy]

55% Altruism + 35% imprudence + 10% luck

 

[PeaceBaby]

Is this the Cliff Notes version of my hero thread?

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48867

Love to have thoughts in there too.

 

[Giggly]

Resilience, bravery, compassion, willingness to face one's fears, responsibility, a bit of humility and a spoonful of altruism.

This.

 

[Elfboy]

no, poor people can still have class and noble character and be heroic.

they don't seem like heroes to me. they seem like good helpers, caregivers and servers. they do a lot of good for society, but they are not heroes.

only a few. like I said, I don't believe it's common to have a heroic personality

I take back my statement about fire fighters. fire fighters are heroic because they inspire people to a higher ideal. while they themselves often speak of "just doing there job" or "just being an average guy" (although my evidence of this is strictly anecdotal) this particular aspect of them is anything but ordinary. ordinary people can be heroic when they do extraordinary things and inspire people to higher ideal. that being said, the most heroic individuals are extraordinary by default and are heroic simply due to their magnetic and inspiring presence.