Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies
Research Guide

The broaden-and-build theory, described in 'The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions' (Fredrickson, 2001), posits that positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires. This broadening builds enduring personal resources such as social bonds and coping skills. The paper, with 13722 citations, situates the theory within positive psychology.

Positive organizational behavior, as argued in 'The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior' (Luthans, 2002), draws from positive psychology to emphasize psychological strengths like optimism and resilience. It promotes a proactive approach in organizational behavior, fostering courage and leadership. The paper has 2918 citations.

Authentic leadership impacts follower attitudes and behaviors by unlocking psychological processes, per 'Unlocking the mask: a look at the process by which authentic leaders impact follower attitudes and behaviors' (Avolio et al., 2004). It connects to heroism through psychological capital and positive influences. The work received 2197 citations.

Resilience in crises involves optimism, personality, and coping styles that alter stress appraisal, as tested in the 1999 Kosovo crisis in 'Resilience in the Face of Catastrophe: Optimism, Personality, and Coping in the Kosovo Crisis' (Riolli et al., 2002). These factors reduce traumatic stress effects. The paper has 2160 citations.

The field differentiates altruism from heroism through empathy-altruism models, explored in 'The altruism question: toward a social-psychological answer' (1992), which examines egoism versus altruism in psychology. It addresses societal constructions of heroic behavior. The book has 2436 citations.