Psychology of Physical Bravery, from The Oxford Handbook Topics in Psychology
Uri Kugel, Catherine Hausman, Laurie Black, Bruce Bongar
This older chapter from the Oxford Handbook Topics in Psychology (2014) explores the elusive phenomenon of physical bravery, examining its definitions, importance, and correlated factors.
Physical bravery is defined as an act where an individual risks their own physical safety to save others from imminent harm or death. The study of bravery is complex due to varying definitions of terms like "courage" and "heroism," which are often shaped by historical and cultural contexts. For instance, the public often perceives civilian acts of rescue as more "purely" heroic than military ones.
Research indicates that bravery is linked to positive psychological outcomes, such as increased resilience and decreased PTSD symptoms. Acts of bravery are considered a key component of positive psychology, with the potential to help individuals flourish.
The study synthesizes findings on characteristics associated with brave individuals, suggesting that bravery is impacted by both "nature and nurture".
Key factors include:
• Personality and Psychology: Brave individuals are often self-confident, less cautious, resilient, have a greater sense of humor, a deep sense of empathy, and a tendency for risk-taking and sensation-seeking. They may also rely on quick, intuitive decision-making rather than conscious deliberation.
• Background and Experience: Factors like being an older child, having moral role models during upbringing, and receiving effective training are correlated with brave behavior. Many heroes attribute their success to training and modeling from others rather than innate qualities.
• Situational Factors: A sense of responsibility, group morale, and the presence of a brave leader can influence an individual's capacity to act courageously in high-stakes situations.
The chapter also details recent pilot studies by Kugel (2015) and Black (2015) using the Physical Courage Survey (PCS) with 181 U.S. military personnel and veterans. These studies found that individuals who performed heroic acts were more likely to be the oldest sibling, less cautious, more self-confident and resilient, and to have a better sense of humor. Decorated heroes, in particular, were more likely to have joined the military seeking adventure and a challenge.
Ultimately, the study calls for further research to better understand bravery, which could inform military recruitment, clinical psychology practices, and efforts to inspire positive action on a global scale
How it relates to our work:
The question of courage is central to our work -yet, not in the traditional sense. We argue that "courage comes as a surprise", a concept very close to what the Canadian band The Tragically Hip expressed in their song "Courage (for Hugh MacLennan)”.
In Headspace#1, there is no heroic outcome, there's no right or wrong way to act. Actually, no matter how you act (whether you jump or not in the river to rescue the person in distress), the outcome is negative for the participant! In the end, courage is acting in spite of the uncertainty of the outcome.
In Ladder of Life, the theme of bravery is central : all questions are designed as: "would you risk your life for (...)". Questions touch on bravery for family members, strangers, animal, mission-based job or values. But it also asks these questions with the intent to provocatively create a ladder of life which orders all lives based on their respective value. This oversimplification is not meant to be accurate, but invites participant to reflect on the actual significance of their instinctual responses.