Citation

Pury CLS, Starkey CB, Kulik RE, Skjerning KL, Sullivan EA. J. Posit. Psychol. 2015; 10(5): 383-388.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17439760.2015.1004552

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Is it always good to be courageous? We have proposed elsewhere that the subjective nature of judging the worth of a goal may on occasion lead to bad courage: When an actor voluntarily assumes personal risk for a goal he or she believes is noble but society views as a wrong. Twenty publicly available first person written statements or transcripts made before or during a suicide attempt (n = 12) or a terrorist action or spree killing (n = 8) were coded for the presence or absence of key defining features of courage (Volition, Risk, and Value of the Goal). Volition was found in 75% of the narratives, Risk in 50%, and Value of the Goal in 80%. All three types of statements were present in 40% of narratives, providing evidence that bad courage can and does occur. Implications for courage interventions are discussed.

Language: en