Philip Zimbardo What Makes A Hero

Everyone has heard of extraordinary superheroes such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman at least once in their childhood. Children think that since they possess superpowers and incredible gadgets, like being able to fly and turn invisible, that makes them a superhero. Comparatively, some people in these stories have similar powers, but use them for evil instead. Today, however, there are many heroes that do not have any special powers to help them achieve heroism. Philip Zimbardo and CNN display some of these heroes. Although these heroes are extremely unique from one another, they all seem to have a couple of similar qualities that make up their character. One can achieve heroism through the use of selflessness and knowledge of right versus wrong to assist other people who are in need of help. Selflessness has a huge role in forming a hero. A presentation written by Zimbardo and titled What Makes a Hero states, “Seventy-two percent report helping another person in a dangerous emergency. Sixteen percent report whistle blowing on an injustice. Six percent report sacrificing for a non-relative or stranger. Fifteen percent report defying an unjust authority” (4). Zimbardo shows statistics done from a report that support the fact that the majority of heroes are selfless. In this report, many of the heroes sacrifice or risk something to help someone else. The author adds this in his presentation to show the different ways in which one can be a hero, but also how those