What do you think?
Rate this book
Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them
Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, Rick in Casablanca --why do we perceive certain people as heroes? What qualities do we see in them? What must they do to win our admiration? In Heroes , Scott T. Allison and George R. Goethals offer a stimulating tour of the psychology of heroism, shedding light on what heroism and villainy mean to most people and why heroes--both real people and fictional characters--are so vital to our lives. The book discusses a broad range of heroes, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino , Senator Ted Kennedy, and explorer Ernest Shackleton, plus villains such as Shakespeare's Iago. The authors highlight the Great Eight traits of heroes (smart, strong, selfless, caring, charismatic, resilient, reliable, and inspiring) and outline the mental models that we have of how people become heroes, from the underdog who defies great odds (David vs. Goliath) to the heroes who redeem themselves or who overcome adversity. Brimming with psychological
insight, Heroes provides an illuminating look at heroes--and into our own minds as well.
insight, Heroes provides an illuminating look at heroes--and into our own minds as well.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2010
14 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 14, 2020
A classification of some heroes. Frankly, I expected it go a bit in a different direction: maybe some more in-depth anthropology or social studies or neurostudies or something equally fascinating.
Instead I got a book with some stories (Some inspirational but most widely known, think Irena Sendler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_S...), the supergirl who saved thousands of babies from the Nazis, got caught, got tortured. They didn't even give her the Nobel Piece prize. Huh. HUH!) Really: Irena Sendler, credited with saving 2,500 Polish Jews from the Holocaust, was a candidate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize but lost out to Al Gore.
Sourse: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-no....
So, it would seem we are not fascinated with the right heroes. God rest Irena Sendler's soul!
So, seems that we love our heroes because they help us shape ourselves the right way. Okay. Sounds reasonable.
Instead I got a book with some stories (Some inspirational but most widely known, think Irena Sendler (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irena_S...), the supergirl who saved thousands of babies from the Nazis, got caught, got tortured. They didn't even give her the Nobel Piece prize. Huh. HUH!) Really: Irena Sendler, credited with saving 2,500 Polish Jews from the Holocaust, was a candidate for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize but lost out to Al Gore.
Sourse: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-no....
So, it would seem we are not fascinated with the right heroes. God rest Irena Sendler's soul!
So, seems that we love our heroes because they help us shape ourselves the right way. Okay. Sounds reasonable.
December 24, 2013
As a humanities and history student I thought this book would take me further in a special project. Wrong. Lots of hype, much 're-naming' of existing psychological concepts. Rather, the authors focus on all-that-is-trendy. The weakest part is that these two fellows re-define "heroes" to suit the popular use of the word. Reading this book, one would think everyone and anyone could be a hero. Oh, wait, we already award that honor to animals, individual sports people (school goalie), family members, first-responders, comic book and video game characters, politicians, entertainers and whomever else we choose. Oprah Winfrey is an example in this books, as are many movie characters. Really?
Skip this book and go read Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Follow up with Campbell's book with Bill Moyers The Power of Myth. These two books will give you the foundation for analyzing heroes and all that goes into the concept.
Skip this book and go read Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Follow up with Campbell's book with Bill Moyers The Power of Myth. These two books will give you the foundation for analyzing heroes and all that goes into the concept.
January 27, 2015
This book wasn't quite what I thought it was. I was expecting a bit more in the way of social and cultural discussion. I also didn't quite agree with some of the definitions of the word "hero" (although the word is used in reference to highly skilled athletes and business professionals in popular culture, so Allison is justified in using it for them).
It was a good breakdown of the different kinds of "heroes" we encounter or are told about and the different relevance of each type. Some of the stories were sad, others were inspirational.
It was a good breakdown of the different kinds of "heroes" we encounter or are told about and the different relevance of each type. Some of the stories were sad, others were inspirational.
April 1, 2018
Because I'm not as familiar with the psychological and sociological concepts in the book, I'm not as disappointed as some of the reviewers are.
I do share their sentiments that this seems to regurgitate popular culture and summarize it rather than provide any new insight. The hero is defined in that peculiar American way: lone individual (male mostly, although the authors try hard, mostly in a clunky way, to be inclusive) who triumphs over adversity alone or with a sidekick. At a few points in the book, I felt compelled to write in the margin that the group who made the hero's actions possible are almost ignored. The only groups that assisted who got mention are the surgical team who put new limbs on a man who lost his limbs. This is a very American masculine definition of a hero which likely explains why it is that most of the exemplars are men.
A more interesting discussion would be why it is that this sort of behavior persists as who a hero is as well as a comparison cross culturally of the types of individuals considered heros.
I wouldn't say "don't bother" but I'm definitely more interested in the suggested books of the commentators.
I do share their sentiments that this seems to regurgitate popular culture and summarize it rather than provide any new insight. The hero is defined in that peculiar American way: lone individual (male mostly, although the authors try hard, mostly in a clunky way, to be inclusive) who triumphs over adversity alone or with a sidekick. At a few points in the book, I felt compelled to write in the margin that the group who made the hero's actions possible are almost ignored. The only groups that assisted who got mention are the surgical team who put new limbs on a man who lost his limbs. This is a very American masculine definition of a hero which likely explains why it is that most of the exemplars are men.
A more interesting discussion would be why it is that this sort of behavior persists as who a hero is as well as a comparison cross culturally of the types of individuals considered heros.
I wouldn't say "don't bother" but I'm definitely more interested in the suggested books of the commentators.
June 15, 2013
A psychological look at the persistence of heroic ideals, this book is very readable and interesting. I especially liked that, when surveyed, many people include family members in this list.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews