Psychology Commons^™

Heroic Leadership: An Influence Taxonomy Of 100 Exceptional Individuals, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

Heroic Leadership is a celebration of our greatest heroes, from legends such as Mahatma Gandhi to the legions of unsung heroes who transform our world quietly behind the scenes. The authors argue that all great heroes are also great leaders. The term ‘heroic leadership’ is coined to describe how heroism and leadership are intertwined, and how our most cherished heroes are also our most transforming leaders.

This book offers a new conceptual framework for understanding heroism and heroic leadership, drawing from theories of great leadership and heroic action. Ten categories of heroism are described: Trending Heroes, Transitory Heroes, Transparent Heroes, …

On Being Better But Not Smarter Than Others: The Muhammad Ali Effect, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals, David M. Messick

Scott T. Allison

Past research suggests that people believe that they perform socially desirable behaviors more frequently and socially undesirable behaviors less frequently than others (Goethals, 1986; Messick, Bloom, Boldizar, & Samuelson, 1985). The present research examined whether this perception also characterizes people's thinking about intelligent and unintelligent behaviors. In Study 1, subjects wrote lists of behaviors that they or others did. Subjects indicated that they performed more good and intelligent behaviors and fewer bad and unintelligent behaviors than others, although the magnitude of these differences was greater for good and bad acts than for intelligent and unintelligent ones. In Study 2, a …

Why Scientists Who Study Good And Evil Are Vulnerable To Criticism, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

Taking the stance that good and evil are in the eye of the beholder makes one vulnerable to criticism. In this way I am in agreement with Roy Baumeister that good and evil are “not strongly tethered to objective reality.”

Are Men More Likely Than Women To Become Heroes And Villains?, Scott T. Allison, George R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

Roy Baumeister's analysis of the evolution of gender roles suggests that men take greater risks than women and are therefore more likely to occupy the extreme ends of success and failure in society. We extend this analysis further to argue that men may be more likely than women to become heroes and villains.

Kings And Charisma, Lincoln And Leadership: An Evolutionary Perspective, George R. Goethals, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

People revere charismatic leaders. In this chapter, we examine charisma from an evolutionary perspective. In doing so, we explore the charisma of Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, Muhammad Ali, and Abraham Lincoln.

Why Scientists Who Study Good And Evil Are Vulnerable To Criticism, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

In this article, I review evidence indicating that good and evil are in the eye of the beholder. In addition, I argue that taking this stance makes one vulnerable to criticism. This argument is consistent with Roy Baumeister’s declaration that good and evil are “not strongly tethered to objective reality.”

Does The Villain's Journey Mirror The Hero's Journey?, Scott T. Allison

Scott T. Allison

We describe how the classic story arc of the villain tends to parallel that of the hero in myth and legend. Villains differ from heroes on the dimension of morality but narratives of both entities share many of the same key elements.

Constructing Heroic Associations: Making A Good Line Better, Scott T. Allison, G R. Goethals

Scott T. Allison

The motivation to construct heroes is so strong that we tend to recall information about heroes that is consistent with mental models and scripts of heroism.