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Zimbardo's Essay: What Makes A Hero?

Decent Essays

However, Zimbardo finds the definition of what makes us a hero much harder to find. Zimbardo hints at high levels of the hormone oxytocin leading to acts of heroism which would make sense as this chemical is called the love drug and is responsible for our social bonding and empathy along with increasing levels of generosity and selflessness, however nothing has been proven so claims are not valid. Zimbardo breaks the essence of being a hero down into several parts. “First, it’s performed in service to others in need—whether that’s a person, group, or community—or in defense of certain ideals. Second, it’s engaged in voluntarily, even in military contexts, as heroism remains an act that goes beyond something required by military duty. Third, a heroic act is one performed with recognition of possible risks and costs, be they to one’s physical health or personal reputation, in which the actor is willing to accept anticipated sacrifice. Finally, it is performed without external …show more content…

One is we tend to try to fit in with the crowd to not be an outlier or odyssey. To not step outside our comfort zones without valid reason. We would rather judge people that do the extraordinary, whether good or bad. We would rather stand comfortably in the middle 99% of the bell curve without being judged for being different than step into this uncomfortable place of judgement ourselves. It could be a lack of opportunity to be a hero, or at least that's how we may feel. In the hyper competitive society we live in today, it may be hard for most of us to think that we can make a difference. It is hard enough making our own way in this world, and it is somewhat inconceivable that we can create a path for others without losing our own way. But that is what being a hero is all about. It's about understanding that by lifting others up we may inadvertently get dragged down ourselves. It's about understanding the risk and continuing

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