Are heroes born or made? Find your own super values!
From a very young age we tend to dream about becoming supermodels, super (sport) stars and yes, even superheroes. We like to believe that we are special in our own way (just like mummy said) and therefore we are destined to achieve great things during our life. However, finding such a “winning” area in our life can be challenging, especially since due to globalisation we are competing with not only our direct neighbours but the whole planet for those perhaps two or three rare moments when suddenly it is time to step up and prove to be outstanding. Of course, it must be mentioned that these few occasions usually do not arise by coincidence; those “lucky” heroes – let it be the already mentioned athletes, models, or firefighters – have been preparing for nearly their whole life to be there “at the right place at the right time”. We may ask: is it possible for an average human to become one of them? Are heroes born or made? Of course, it would be nice if we could all be superhumans, but life is usually not so simple. What can we still do, then?

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Can anyone become a hero?
What makes a hero heroic? Is someone who flies around in red cape and blue tights, fighting criminals a hero? Or can we count as heroes all the normal people who just help wherever they can? The heroes of our daydreams vary; often as we grow, the idea of heroes develops and becomes more sophisticated as does what it means to be a hero. Your role model at the age of 5 most probably will not be still your hero at the age of 10, 30 and 50 (except maybe your parents) …
“All of us start from zero. We take the right decision and become a hero.”
Govinda
To tell the truth, we are all born with the potential to be heroic; with some extent of an urge to become part of something greater. The difference lies in how it is actualised: either we do it individually or together as a team – be it guided by our own, selfish goals or not – and there is some internal motivation toward heroism in all of us. Most of us are not destined to become heroes, but most people still like to entertain the idea that that they would be heroic if the situation called for it. In practice, though, heroism rarely happens without dedicated, proper preparation (Kohen, 2013).
This potential must be nurtured and trained specifically. Otherwise, it remains latent in us with the resources remaining untapped. Although some people may seem to have an instinct to lead (work champions / heroes?), in the long run talent can easily fade if proper care is not taken of it by studying, preparing, or practising. Meanwhile, someone not so obviously talented can close the gap with hard work. Even the best, most talented performers in their own discipline spend long hours practising to be able to stay on the top. This is the reason why heroes are not only born, but also made. The hero of a given moment will likely have trained their body and mind to be able to call upon that heroic instinct (and skillset) even without thinking in the heat of the moment. This also explains why not everybody turns out to be a hero; heroes need a high amount of courage and strength to persist with a journey full of difficult situations and challenges. Although natural talents and abilities can surely help in times of trial, such gifts are not necessarily the hallmark of “heroes”.
“Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.”
Bob Riley
Keczer et al. (2016) suggest that there might be a particular mindset and skillset which helps us to behave correctly (confidently and morally) even in difficult situations by acting immediately and unconsciously when it is really called for. Sometimes in life you can just feel instinctively that something is right, and you follow that intuition with total dedication because you know it is the right thing to do (Bronk & Riches, 2017).
Why is it vital to know our strengths and weaknesses?
The overlapping triangles of one’s self-concept

Source: Own design
As we can see also from the figure above the more the 3 triangles are coming closer into overlapping each other – the more we are fully aware of our own values – the bigger will be the intersection, the ideal-self. In other words, knowing one’s strengths and our weaknesses gives you a better understanding of yourself and how to reach your maximum. Strengths and weaknesses are part of being self-aware. When you know these values, you can create a plan that focuses on bringing the best out of yourself, your ideal self. Being familiar with your strengths means you know what activities to engage in that will allow you to shine (and which not worth the time or energy). For example, based on things you know you are good at you can narrow down to a specific job your career search. Knowing your weaknesses also gives you a clear understanding of the things that may be holding you back. An idea about your weaknesses also enables you to understand how you can work around them. Then, with effort (and courage?) you can work on these things so that these blind spots will not hold you back any more.
So, what key values should we focus on that might just lead to great future achievements?
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According to Allison & Goethals (2010), heroes are believed to possess eight great attributes: they are smart, strong, resilient, selfless, caring, charismatic, reliable, and inspiring. These qualities can be aligned with the findings of Kinsella et al. (2015), who list bravery, moral integrity, courageous, protecting, conviction, honest, altruistic, self-sacrificing, selfless, determined, saving, inspiring, and being helpful as the most prototypical features of heroes. It would be extraordinary for a single person to possess all these characteristics, but great people tend to have several of them. “We are all born with this tremendous capacity to be anything, and we get shaped by our circumstances—by the family or the culture or the time period in which we happen to grow up, which are accidents of birth; whether we grow up in a war zone versus peace; if we grow up in poverty rather than prosperity. … So each of us may possess the capacity to do terrible things. But we also possess an inner hero; if stirred to action, that inner hero is capable of performing tremendous goodness for others.” Zimbardo, 2011 In real life, heroes are usually people who recognise their capabilities and use them actively to help others in many possible areas of life. In this vein, if we want to achieve great things it is crucial to be familiar with our strengths and weaknesses to manage them efficiently. Researchers noted being a hero is more like a learned behaviour than something one is born with (Kohen et al., 2019; Lehrer, 2010). Heroism, after all, isn’t supposed to be a teachable trait, however if we recognise our abilities, we can act according to them and focus more on what is still required to reach our goal. For example, in the heat of a given moment we may simply not have time to think but may nevertheless find a way to act, to speak out, or to help others in need. This makes people outstanding, as we can see nowadays no need to fight the Nemean Lion, capture Troy or find the Holy Grail, still someone with truly altruistic acts can become a (modern) hero. Of course, every individual is different, and we all function differently based on our own values and personalities. This explains why it is vital to know yourself and your capacities. Knowing and working on your weaknesses and strengths will help you improve yourself, as in any area of life extensive and even general preparation helps the brain act almost automatically. Moreover, that is how hard work can compete with (and even beat?) talent. Like those athletes who practised the same shot or kick 1000x times or who have been trained to save lives or manage crises have the self-confidence and the moves to be able to act without thinking at stressful moments. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” Bruce Lee Not everyone is lucky enough to be born to be super talented in many areas. Many of us must face several obstacles in life before we come to that one possibly big moment of our life. Without enough courage, some may give up whereas others do not lose sight of their dreams. For many, giving up is explained by a litany of excuses (Fisher et al., 2011), but the ones who do not excuse themselves are becoming (close) to be known as heroes, as they will always stand out because they are passionate about their dreams, no matter the obstacles they encounter. Their willpower makes it all worth continuing to fight against the odds – and with this power you can also be an inspiration and guide for others who may yet be called “heroes”. One thing is for certain: knowing your unique attributes and values can help you become the best possible version of yourself and fulfil your “hero destiny” once you have found the right (career) path. “I think all of us have a hero and a villain in us.” Anson Mount So, choose & act wisely. – Allison, S., & Goethals, G. (2010). Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. – Bronk, K. C., Riches, B. R. (2017). The intersection of purpose and heroism: A study of exemplars. In: Allison, S. T., Goethals, G. R., Kramer, R. M. (Eds.), Handbook of heroism and heroic leadership (pp. 495-506). New York, NY: Routledge. – Fischer, P., Krueger, J. I., Greitemeyer, T., Vogrincic, C., Kastenmüller, A., Frey, D., Heene, M., Wicher, M., & Kainbacher, M. (2011). The bystander-effect: A meta-analytic review on bystander intervention in dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies. Psychological Bulletin, 137(4), 517–537. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023304 – Keczer, Z., File, B., Orosz, G., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2016). Social Representations of Hero and Everyday Hero: A Network Study from Representative Samples. PLoS ONE, 11(8), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159354 – Kinsella, E. L., Ritchie, T. D., & Igou, E. R. (2015). Zeroing in on heroes: a prototype analysis of hero features. J Pers Soc Psychol, 108(1), 114-27. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038463 – Kohen, A. (2013). Untangling Heroism: Classical Philosophy and the Concept of the Hero (1st ed.). Routledge. – Kohen, A., Langdon, M., & Riches, B. R. (2019). The Making of a Hero: Cultivating Empathy, Altruism, and Heroic Imagination. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 59(4), 617–633. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167817708064 – Lehrer, J. (2010). Are Heroes Born, or Can They Be Made?. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 March 2022, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704156304576003963233286324. – Zimbardo, P. (2011). What Makes a Hero?. Greater Good. Retrieved 20 March 2022, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_makes_a_hero. Sources:
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