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Motivation
12 Reasons Why We Have Heroes
Some heroes help us survive, others help us thrive.
Posted April 17, 2022 Reviewed by Jessica Schrader
Key points
- Heroes provide benefits that span many dimensions of human well-being.
- Heroes help us physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
- Just thinking about our heroes helps us become our best selves.
Over the past decade, social scientists who study heroism have identified at least 12 functions of heroes. Here they are:
- Heroes give us hope.
- Heroes energize us.
- Heroes develop us.
- Heroes heal us.
- Heroes impart wisdom.
- Heroes are role models for morality.
- Heroes offer safety and protection.
- Heroes give us positive emotions.
- Heroes give us meaning and purpose.
- Heroes provide social connection and reduce loneliness.
- Heroes help individuals achieve personal goals.
- Heroes help society achieve societal goals.
From this list, several things are clear. First, heroism offers benefits that span many dimensions of human well-being. There are basic survival benefits (e.g., safety and healing). There are cognitive benefits (e.g., wisdom). There are motivational benefits (e.g., energy). There are emotional benefits (e.g., hope and positivity). There are social benefits (e.g., less loneliness). There are growth benefits (e.g., development). There are spiritual benefits (e.g., morality). There are existential benefits (e.g., meaning and purpose). And there are creativity benefits (e.g., personal and societal goals).
So there’s little wonder why we have heroes. We need them to get us through this challenging experience called life. Heroes help us survive, and they help us thrive. They help us through our worst times, and they prepare us for our best times. Heroes nurture us, save us, and help us become our best selves. Heroes truly do help us meet all the human needs that correspond to Abraham Maslow’s iconic hierarchy of needs.
Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about heroes is that they don’t have to be physically present to help us survive and thrive. Research shows that just remembering our heroes can do the job for us. Nostalgia for past heroes, both living and dead, can produce these 12 benefits of heroism. Research on the impact of losing a parent at a young age has shown that people carry the departed parent with them forever, holding them in their minds, imagining their emotional support and mentoring. We all benefit from the memory of our heroes, often in ways we’re unaware of.
References
Allison, S. T., & Goethals, G. R. (2014). “Now he belongs to the ages”: The heroic leadership dynamic and deep narratives of greatness. In Goethals, G. R., et al. (Eds.), Conceptions of leadership: Enduring ideas and emerging insights. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Allison, S. T. & Green, J. D. (2020) Nostalgia and heroism: Theoretical convergence of memory, motivation, and function, Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-13.
Chater, A. M., Howlett, N., Shorter, G. W., Zakrewski-Fruer, J. K., Williams, J. (2022). Reflections experiencing parental bereavement as a young person: A retrospective qualitative study. International Journal of Environments Research and Public Health, 19, 2083.
Kinsella, E.L., Ritchie, T.D., & Igou, E.R. (2015). Lay perspectives on the social and psychological functions of heroes. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 130.
Kneuer, M. A., Green, J. D., & Allison, S. T. (2022). In pursuit of important goals: Nostalgia fosters heroic perceptions via social connectedness. Heroism Science, 7(1), 1-29.
Allison, S. T. (Ed.) (2022). The 12 functions of heroes and heroism. Richmond: Palsgrove.
