Dr. Philip Zimbardo ran the (in)famous Stanford Prison Experiment, so he knows how circumstances can make good people do bad things. His article attached below is different—it’s concerned with how ordinary people can do heroic things.
Zimbardo writes that the “core of heroism” revolves around the individual’s commitment to a noble purpose and the willingness to accept the consequences of fighting for that purpose.
According to Zimbardo, heroism is made up of four independent dimensions listed below. I’ve included by each dimension an movement leaders who illustrates heroic leadership in challenging the status quo and helping lead cultural change.
1. Heroism involves some type of quest (M.L. King leading the Civil Rights Movement).
2. Heroism must have some form of actual or anticipated sacrifice or risk—either physical peril or profound social sacrifice (Wilberforce’s sacrifice of position in William Pitt’s cabinet).
3. The heroic act can be either passive or active. A hero may perform some valiant activity or involve passive resistance or an unwillingness to be moved (Ghandi’s resistance in India).
4. Heroism can be a sudden, one time act, or something that persists over a longer period of time (the Clapham Sect’s struggle against the slave trade).
The short explanation of what it takes to be a hero is the presence of “heroic imagination” which the authors describe as “the capacity to imagine facing physically or socially risky situations, to struggle with the hypothetical problems these situations generate, and to consider one’s actions and the consequences.”
Nurturing a heroic imagination takes five actions–five actions that define leaders who challenge the ‘status quo’:
1. Maintain constant vigilance for situations that require heroic action–heroes remain mindful, carefully and critically evaluating each situation they encounter to see what needs to be done.
2. Learn not to fear interpersonal conflict and develop the personal hardiness necessary to stand firm for principles we cherish.
3. Imagine alternative future scenarios beyond the present moment. Heroes have an extended time-horizon, not just the present moment.
4. Resist the urge to rationalize and justify inaction.
5. Trust that people will appreciate heroic (and frequently unpopular) actions. If the course is just, they trust that others will eventually recognize the value of heroic action.
Dr. Zimbardo and Franco are concerned with “heroic” actions in society, but a “heroic imagination” is clearly the hallmark of movement leaders too. I urge you to read the entire article.
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