The Journal of social psychology
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Individuals in different contexts are referred to as "heroes" for seemingly different reasons. To better understand how and why people use this term, three studies were conducted. ⋯ A third study further examined individuals' descriptions of their heroes in light of their own self views. The findings across these studies extend our understanding of the term hero and suggest that the use of the term is based both on the specific features of any heroic figure, as well as on the self views of the person identifying the hero.