Synonyms
Definition
Diplomatic heroism refers to actions that present a significant risk to the actor’s physical, mental, social, or economic well-being and where this risky action is taken to benefit others, not the self.
Heroism is a gamble on possible outcomes, where risk is defined as “the effect of uncertainty on objectives” and takes into account probabilities and consequences (Menzies 2022). Like other acts of courage, diplomatic heroism occurs when there is at “present a significant risk to the actor’s physical, mental, social, or economic well-being” and where “this risky action must be done to benefit others rather than solely for one’s own good” (Riches et al. 2020). While heroes may be regular good samaritans, feel empathy toward in- and outgroups, and consider they have the skills or appropriate experience to execute difficult tasks, there is still an act of calculation (or imagination) where...
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References
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Grace, P. (2023). Diplomatic Heroism. In: Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_215-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_215-1
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