Psychology Commons^™

Distinctions Between General And Personal Courage, Cynthia L. S. Pury, Robin M. Kowalski, Jana Spearman

Cynthia L. S. Pury

How courageous is an action? Perhaps it depends on the comparison group, with crucial differences between general courage, or actions that would be courageous for anyone, and personal courage, or actions that are courageous only for the particular actor. To explore these possible distinctions, 250 undergraduates (151 female) wrote about a time they acted courageously, then made multiple ratings of the action including personal and general courageousness. Actions high in general courage were taken with more confidence, less fear, and fewer personal limitations: actions high in personal courage were taken with more fear, despite greater difficulty. Both ratings and narrative …