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Articles 1 - 7 of 7

Full-Text Articles in Leadership Studies

Pressures To Comply Or Defy: How Social Values Influence Perceptions Of Healthcare Workers As Villains, James K. Beggan, Scott T. Allison Jun 2023

Pressures To Comply Or Defy: How Social Values Influence Perceptions Of Healthcare Workers As Villains, James K. Beggan, Scott T. Allison

Heroism Science

During the Covid-19 pandemic, politicians, the media, and the public labeled frontline workers as heroes. The goal of this article is to examine how certain aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic—such as the nature of the Covid-19 virus, coupled with insufficient governmental and institutional responses—created a situation where it became possible for people to characterize healthcare workers as villains. This approach to medical professionals is rather novel in heroism studies and social sciences. A qualitative review of available data sources provided evidence that frontline healthcare workers were perceived negatively. Experiencing a lack of cooperation from patients and their families, healthcare personnel …


Understanding Why Some Whistleblowers Are Venerated And Others Vilified, Christopher D. E. Atkinson, Eric D. Wesselmann, Daniel G. Lannin Apr 2022

Understanding Why Some Whistleblowers Are Venerated And Others Vilified, Christopher D. E. Atkinson, Eric D. Wesselmann, Daniel G. Lannin

Heroism Science

Whistleblowers are individuals who witness a moral infraction committed within their organization and report this infraction publicly to hold the group accountable. Whistleblowers often face ridicule, vilification, and exclusion both within their group and sometimes within broader society. Thus, whistleblowers put themselves at personal risk to adhere to their moral code and protect others; these criteria commonly classify someone as a hero. We argue diverse reactions to whistleblowers are influenced by numerous situational factors that influence perceptions of a whistleblower’s intentions as well as the expected consequences of their whistleblowing. Whether a whistleblower is viewed as a virtuous reformer (i.e., …


In Pursuit Of Important Goals: Nostalgia Fosters Heroic Perceptions Via Social Connectedness, Margaret A. Kneuer, Jeffrey D. Green, Scott T. Allison Mar 2022

In Pursuit Of Important Goals: Nostalgia Fosters Heroic Perceptions Via Social Connectedness, Margaret A. Kneuer, Jeffrey D. Green, Scott T. Allison

Heroism Science

Research on the theoretical order causally linking heroism to social connectedness and inspiration does not exist to our knowledge (Allison & Green, 2020). We propose that nostalgia is a source of heroism because of the social nature of nostalgic memories. We designed two studies, one correlational and one experimental, to test how nostalgia relates to pursuit of an important goal, through increasing social connectedness, heroic perceptions, and inspiration. Online participants completed an ordinary writing task (Study 1) or were randomly assigned to either a nostalgic or ordinary writing task (Study 2), followed by measures of social connectedness, heroic perceptions, inspiration, …


The Dynamic Negotiated Exchange Model Of Heroism And Heroic Leadership: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Scott T. Allison, James K. Beggan Jan 2022

The Dynamic Negotiated Exchange Model Of Heroism And Heroic Leadership: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Scott T. Allison, James K. Beggan

Interdisciplinary Journal of Leadership Studies

This article proposes a new model of heroism and heroic leadership that conceptualizes the exchange relationship between heroic leaders and the recipients of heroic action as dynamic and negotiated. Previous exchange models portraying heroic leadership exchange as static and passive are shown to be inadequate under conditions of major societal upheaval. Underlying the Dynamic Negotiated Exchange (DNE) model is the idea that equitable hero–recipient exchange during times of societal crises becomes strained and subject to negotiated revision. The terms of the negotiation are first manifest in media dialogue and then translate to individual or structural reforms offering more equitable exchange …


Constructing The Heroic Whistleblower: A Social Scientific Approach, Brian K. Richardson, Joseph Mcglynn Jun 2021

Constructing The Heroic Whistleblower: A Social Scientific Approach, Brian K. Richardson, Joseph Mcglynn

Heroism Science

Many whistleblowers perform heroic acts, but not all whistleblowers are heroes. Motivation, method, and risk vary across whistleblower contexts. Although many whistleblowers portray aspects of archetypal heroism, research is needed to specify the qualities of heroic whistleblowers from non-heroic whistleblowers. The present study aims to develop an archetype of heroic whistleblowers. We identify five dimensions of whistleblowing heroism and then draw upon data from interviews that we conducted with 32 actual whistleblowers to provide examples of each element. We argue there are five dimensions of the whistleblowing process that distinguish heroic whistleblowers. The five dimensions include 1) motivation for blowing …


A Lion’S Blues: Heroism, Heroic Self-Representations, And Emotional Distress In The Life And Character Of Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, Golan Shahar, Raz Bauminger, Shai Itamar Mar 2021

A Lion’S Blues: Heroism, Heroic Self-Representations, And Emotional Distress In The Life And Character Of Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu, Golan Shahar, Raz Bauminger, Shai Itamar

Heroism Science

The realization that heroism – representing either a trait or a value system – is potentially pernicious is important for both scientific and societal reasons. In this article, we adopt a psychobiographical perspective to analyze the character and life of one of Israel’s greatest heroes, Yonathan (“Yoni”) Netanyahu. Yoni was an illustrious military leader, as well as an outstanding intellectual and adored persona. He served as the commander of the special operation forces spearheading the famous Entebbe Operation during which Israeli commando forces rescued hostages taken captive in Uganda. Yoni was the only military causality in this operation, which was …


Monomyth Or Monogamyth? Polyamory’S Conceptual Challenges To The Hero’S Journey, James K. Beggan Jul 2020

Monomyth Or Monogamyth? Polyamory’S Conceptual Challenges To The Hero’S Journey, James K. Beggan

Heroism Science

In the context of polyamorous relationships, a unicorn can be defined as a single, bisexual woman interested in forming a relationship with a heterosexual couple. Heroism scholars have suggested that the hero’s journey (or monomyth) can be used as a framework for understanding everyone’s life. By extension, it would be possible to frame the search for a receptive unicorn as a hero’s quest. Unicorn hunters are stigmatized by the general public for challenging the monogamyth, i.e., the monogamy norm. They are also criticized by the polyamorous community for privileging their own interests ahead of those of the women they are …