Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership

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HeroismHandbookCoversThe Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership represents the first effort to gather scholarship on heroism into one definitive reference volume.

The Handbook showcases scholarly contributions from distinguished social scientists on the topics of leadership, morality, resilience, courage, empathy, meaning, purpose, altruism, hope, human growth, cooperation, spirituality, health, transformation, and character strengths. The volume provides a much-needed consolidation and synthesis for scholars of heroism and heroic leadership.

The Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership features three conceptually distinct sections that reflect the current state of theory and research on heroism and heroic leadership. These sections are Origins of Heroism, Types of Heroism, and Processes of Heroism. The Origins of Heroism section focuses on the formation, causes, and antecedents of heroic action. Types of Heroism addresses phenomena associated with different categories of heroism and how these hero types affect individuals and society. Processes of Heroism examines the functions, processes, and consequences of heroism.

This volume offers insights and inspiration about the pinnacle of human behavior and how leaders can make use of these insights to help their followers reach their fullest potential. The Handbook provides a compelling foundation for the development of a multidisciplinary perspective on the antecedents and consequences of heroic behavior. The Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership shines a scholarly light on all the gifted and enlightened leaders whose behavior has embodied the most exquisite qualities of humanity.

The Handbook is published by Routledge and is now available at Amazon.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Philip Zimbardo

Introduction

Setting the Scene: The Rise and Coalescence of Heroism Science

Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals, and Roderick M. Kramer

Part I

Origins of Heroism

  1. Attributes and Applications of Heroes: A Brief History of Lay and Academic Perspectives

Elaine L. Kinsella, Timothy D. Ritchie, and Eric R. Igou

  1. Why Heroism Exists: Evolutionary Perspectives on Extreme Helping

Sara Kafashan, Adam Sparks, Amanda Rotella, and Pat Barclay

  1. Adaptive Foundations of Heroism: Social Heuristics Push Advantageous Everyday Ethical Behaviors to Heroic Extremes

Gordon T. Kraft-Todd and David G. Rand

  1. The Evolution and Neurobiology of Heroism

Stephanie D. Preston

  1. Character Development and the Emergence of Heroic Leadership: Towards a Relational Developmental Systems-Based Model

Kristina Schmid Callina, Richard M. Lerner, Ettya Fremont, Brian Burkhard, Danielle Stacey, and Shaobing Su

  1. The Moral Character of Heroes

Lawrence J. Walker

  1. Why and How Groups Create Moral Heroes

Ari Decter-Frain, Ruth Vanstone, and Jeremy A. Frimer

  1. The Hero Organism: Advancing the Embodiment of Heroism Thesis in the 21st Century

Olivia Efthimiou

Part II

Types of Heroism

  1. Everyday Heroes: Determinants of Moral Courage

Anna Halmburger, Anna Baumert, and Manfred Schmitt

  1. Heroism in Times of Crisis: Understanding Leadership During Extreme Events

Zeno E. Franco

  1. Holocaust Heroes: Heroic Altruism of non-Jewish Moral Exemplars in Nazi Europe

Stephanie Fagin-Jones

  1. Heroism and Wisdom in Medicine

Margaret Plews-Ogan, Justine E. Owens, Natalie May, and Monika Ardelt

  1. Deviant Heroes and Social Heroism in Everyday Life: Activists and Artists

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Michael Condren, and Izabela Lebuda

  1. To Become or Not to Become? Existential Courage and the Pursuit of Desired Identities

Roderick M. Kramer

  1. Heroism in the Networked Society

Dana Klisanin

  1. A Training Program in Spiritually-Oriented Leadership: Inner Growth for Outer Change

Elsa Lau, Sarah B. Sherman, and Lisa Miller

  1. Career Development and a Sense of Calling: Contexts for Heroism

Bryan J. Dik, Adelyn B. Shimizu, and William O’Connor

  1. Underdogs as Heroes

Joseph A. Vandello, Nadav Goldschmied, and Kenneth Michniewicz

  1. Whistleblowers as Heroes: Fostering ‘Quiet’ Heroism in Place of the Heroic Whistleblower Stereotype
    A J Brown

Part III

Processes of Heroism

  1. The Hero’s Transformation

Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals

  1. Moral Transformation: The Paths to Heroism, Villainy and Victimhood

Amelia Goranson and Kurt Gray

  1. The Impact of Heroism on Heroes and Observers: Stories of Elevation and Personal Change

Jeanne Nakamura and Laura Graham

  1. Accidental and Purposeful Impediments to Heroism

Craig D. Parks

  1. Heroic Empathy: The Heart of Leadership

Ronald H. Humphrey and Laural L. Adams

  1. Heroic Leaders and Despotic Tyrants: How Power and Status Shape Leadership

Anika Stuppy and Nicole L. Mead

  1. The Intersection of Purpose and Heroism: A Study of Exemplars

Kendall Cotton Bronk and Brian R. Riches

  1. Heroism and the Pursuit of Meaning

Jeffrey D. Green, Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Athena H. Cairo, and Nao Hagiwara

  1. Psychopathy and Heroism: Unresolved Questions and Future Directions

Brett A. Murphy, Scott O. Lilienfeld, and Ashley L. Watts

  1. The Courage of One’s Moral Convictions: Exploring the Two Sides of Heroism

Ronnie Janoff-Bulman and Prerana Bharadwaj

 

Here’s what they’re saying about the Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership:

“Editors Scott Allison, George Goethals and Roderick Kramer have assembled an outstanding team of contributors whose expertise ranges from neurobiology and evolutionary psychology to developmental approaches as well as spirituality, leadership, and career development. In addition to the variety of topics and approaches featured in this volume, readers will appreciate the uniform clarity of the presentations and their engaging style of academic storytelling.”

  • Phil Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University, and Founder of the Heroic Imagination Project

“The study of heroes and exemplars is generating increasing excitement throughout the social sciences at the present time, and for good reason. We live in a time of diminished expectations for moral leadership and true heroism. This innovative Handbook of Heroism and Heroic Leadership draws on the best available science to help us understand the conditions that foster heroic leadership, and how it works across a variety of social contexts. The volume is an essential contribution to the study of human lives in all their full potential.”

  • William Damon, Professor and Director, Stanford Center on Adolescence, author of The Path to Purpose

“Studying heroism is challenging for scientists, yet Allison, Goethals, and Kramer have assembled 30 chapters by knowledgeable authors who explore varied aspects of heroism. The result is a thoroughly impressive volume that surely is the key resource in this developing area of science. Professors could organize an outstanding course or seminar on heroism around these excellent chapters.”

  • Alice Eagly, Professor of Psychology and James Padilla Chair of Arts & Sciences at Northwestern University

“Allison, Goethals, and Kramer’s Handbook marks the emergence of the study of heroes and heroism as a central concern of the social sciences. A handbook in the truest sense, the book’s well-organized and executed chapters—written by leading experts in the field—combine to form a foundation for the study of heroic leadership; they summarize current scholarly thinking, build thematic connections between subareas, suggest novel interpretations and insights, and identify future directions for theory, research, development, and application. This book is a goldmine of information essential for anyone seeking to better understand the ethical, psychology, interpersonal, and spiritual bases of heroism.”

  • Donelson R. Forsyth, Colonel Leo K. and Gayless Thorsness Endowed Chair in Ethical Leadership at the University of Richmond

“This handbook is a comprehensive, informative, and exciting contribution to the literature on heroism and heroic leadership. Material on heroism tends to be scattered in many different places, and it is wonderful to have it at last in one place, in readable and engaging prose. I recommend the handbook most highly.”

  • Robert J. Sternberg, Professor of Human Development, Cornell University