English Speaking

Let’s Talk About Heroes

1) Who are some heroes from everyday life (not famous people)?

2) Who are some heroes from the public eye (famous people)?

3) Who are some heroes from history (dead people)?

4) Who are some heroes from fiction (created characters from

books/movies/TV shows/etc)?

5) Who would a dream date for the dinner (your boyfriend/wife/etc. or a

famous crush)?

You are going to host a dinner party with some of these people. There are six places
at the table. Who would you invite?

Make a table plan for you and your five dinner guests:

6) Why did you sit

these people
together?

7) What food and

drinks would
you serve?

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5 Surprising Ways That Heroes Improve Our Lives

By Scott T Allison Ph.D., 27/11/2017
From www.psychologytoday.com

We all know that heroes are inspiring, but our research on heroes also reveals several
non-obvious ways that they improve our lives. Here are five psychological benefits that
heroes provide that are somewhat surprising.
1. Heroes produce a recently identified emotion called “elevation”
Recent research suggests that heroes and heroic action may evoke a unique emotional
response which Jonathan Haidt at NYU has called elevation. Haidt borrowed the term
elevation from Thomas Jefferson, who used the phrase moral elevation to describe the
euphoric feeling one gets when reading great literature.
When people experience elevation, they feel a mix of awe, reverence, and admiration
for a morally beautiful act. The emotion is described as similar to calmness, warmth,
and love. Haidt argues that elevation is “elicited by acts of virtue or moral beauty; it
causes warm, open feelings in the chest.”
2. Heroes heal our psychic wounds
Tens of thousands of years ago, when humans first tamed fire, tribe members huddled
around a communal fire at the end of each day for warmth and protection. But the act
of gathering around fire encouraged another activity—storytelling. The first stories told
were no doubt tales of heroes and heroic action, and these tales were a salve for
people’s psychological wounds.
Hero stories calmed people’s fears, buoyed their spirits, nourished their hopes, and
fostered important values of strength and resilience. Life now had greater purpose and
meaning. There’s no doubt that humans today are no different from our early ancestors.
We are drawn to good hero stories because they comfort us and heal us.
3. Heroes nourish our connections with other people
Storytelling is a community-building activity. For early humans, just the act of gathering
around communal fires to hear stories established social connections with others. This
sense of family, group, or community was, and remains, central to human emotional
well-being.
The content of hero stories also promotes a strong sense of social identity. If the hero
is an effective one, he or she performs actions that exemplify and affirm the
community’s most cherished values. The validation of a shared worldview, told vividly

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in storytelling, cements social bonds. Heroes are role models who perform behaviors
that reinforce our most treasured values and connections with others.
4. Heroes show us how to transform our lives
Comparative mythologist Joseph Campbell believed that heroes undergo a personal
transformation during their hero journeys. In every hero story, the hero starts out
missing an important quality, usually self-confidence, humility, or a sense of his or her
true purpose in life. To succeed, the hero must recover, or discover, this quality. Every
hero story tells of a journey toward vast personal transformation.
Campbell (1988) believed that all of us undergo a hero-like journey throughout our
ordinary human lifespans. During our lives “we undergo a truly heroic transformation
of consciousness.” Only when we heroically risk change and growth in our own lives will
we reach our full potential. As spiritual teacher Richard Rohr notes, hero stories inspire
us all because they call us all.
5. Heroes turn us into heroes ourselves
Good heroes use the power of transformation not only to change themselves for the
better, but also to transform the world. In the classic hero journey, the newly
transformed hero eventually transforms society in significant and positive ways.
Psychologist Eric Erikson’s stages of human development suggest a similar hero
trajectory for all of us. Adults grow in significant ways and then in mid-life reach a
stage of generativity, which Erikson defines as the time when people give back to the
society that has given them so much.
The emotion of elevation, which warms and uplifts us, also includes a desire to become
a better person. According to Jonathan Haidt, elevation “motivates people to behave
more virtuously themselves.” The elevation we feel upon witnessing a heroic act
transforms us into believing we are capable of heroic acts ourselves.
Conclusions
People need heroes because heroes save or improve lives and because heroes are
inspiring. But we also need heroes for surprising reasons that go beyond the direct
benefits of heroic action. Heroes elevate us emotionally; they heal our psychological
ills; they build connections between people; they encourage us to transform ourselves
for the better; and they call us to become heroes and help others.

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5 Surprising Ways That Heroes Improve Our Lives

A: Comprehension: Find the answers in the text:
8) In psychological terms, what does “elevation” mean?

9) How can the idea of heroes connect us socially?

10) What is “generativity”?

B: Opinion: Discuss what you think:

11) Do you know what “hero worship” is? Do you think it is a positive thing?

12) Do you share the same heroes as your parents? Why do you think this is?

13) Who are some of your heroes?