what makes some people brave and heroic and others cowards ?

Answer 1

A combination of many things….
Genes, background, experience, but believe it’s actually a combination of all these and more.

For instance: if a person grows up in an environment which is selfish, he becomes selfish except: he “feels” selfishness as a bad thing and he doesn’t want to be that way.
I have also seen children who grow up in selfish homes go out and experience the opposite (and acknowledge) and end up totally unselfish.

I’m not a psychologist and all but, I think it’s all of the three above.
Experience helps up not make mistakes… hence we become careful… while others become fearless through this same experience.

So, really… I thing it’s all three.
Wish I could explain it more… but I guess I tried a little.
Be good

Answer 2

I think it is determined by how someone is raised and the challanges they face as they mature. Ones parents greatly affect how they will react in a situation. If you dad or mom really seemed like a hero to you, wouldnt you strive to be like them, and try to make the decision you belive are righteous. Seeing your gardians as cowards will make you come to believe that is the way a human should live in this society. I think that for someone to have a heroic attitute towards life, they must face a hard challange and overcome it. It they pass, then they will always be able to think back to that event and say, "i did it then, i can do it now". On the other hand, if they fail, they most likely will not want to take such a big risk ever again in their life...

I have personally been mugged on the street once, and no one came to my help. Instead of turning me into a coward, when i see someone in trouble, i always think back to the fear i felt @ that time, and try to save some1 the terrible experience i went through. I guess being a coward/hero also depends on your outlook on life.

Answer 3

I think you have to distinguish different types of bravery. For example:

1) Bravery on a single occasion under life-threatening circumstances (example: an ordinary person entering a burning building to save a stranger)

2) Bravery on a regular basis doing a dangerous job (example: working as a cop or fireman or soldier)

3) Bravery on a regular basis under mundane circumstances (example: one employee in a company takes on tough, high-profile assignments with a lot of responsibility, while another avoids challenges and stays with the safe, comfortable assignments.)

In the first case, who knows what motivates that sort of bravery. Speaking personally, on the one or two occasions where I've done something relatively dangerous to help another person (like jumping into a fight to help someone being victimized), I was in a particularly foul mood beforehand anyway, and the situation offended me to the point that I wanted to do something about it and didn't care what happened to me personally.

In the second case, it's mostly about training. When people are hit with adrenaline and fear, they lose small muscle control and are stunned into immobility. Adrenaline increases muscle strength, but it reduces muscle control. Often, running away becomes the easiest recourse. But people can be trained to overcome the physical effects of adrenaline and function effectively in highly dangerous circumstances. And then peer pressure, cash incentives, or enjoyment of excitement can become a positive incentive.

In the third case, I think it's mostly about fear of failure and public humiliation. The risk-taking worker knows that public failure and humiliation are survivable--you just minimize the failure (apologize, do a little penance if necessary) and then shrug it off and move on past it. So for the risk-taker, the positives (the rewards of a successful outcome) outweigh the negatives (humiliation of public failure). The non-risk-taking worker, on the other hand, probably hasn't had a lot of experience with failure and worries that it will be too crushing a blow. So the negatives outweigh the positives for that worker. It’s a lot like love. Some people take a single shot at love, give it everything they have, and when they are rejected they mourn the injury to the point of never loving again. Others treat it a little more lightly and aren't particularly wounded by rejection or humiliation in love; they move on past it fairly quickly to the next fish in the sea.

There are some common factors among the three examples above, like weighing risk versus benefit and/or having some previous experience or training in order to reduce the negatives and inspire confidence in a positive outcome.

Just my own thoughts on the subject, of course.

Answer 4

I think it has to do with whether or not your brain evaluates the danger of the situation. Many people become heroes because they react without thinking. Later, when they have time to reflect, they are surprised themselves at what they did. Other people, who might be constantly anxious or worried a lot may be constantly aware of dangers around them and the potential harm they may cause. This causes them to shy away from engaging in anything that might be considered heroic.

Answer 5

The terroist that blows himself up and kills many innocents in the process is both brave and heroic and the most henious coward; it's all relative of course. Depends which side of the fence you are sitting on.
The 'coward' that refuses to kill defenceless enemies is a hero, and brave... ditto.
Interesting question- thanks....

Answer 6

People with a strong sense of themselves, with a moral compass, and strong identification with people can be heroic, because they know that they are part of the whole.

Coward is a strong term, and describes behavior that ranges from physical fear to moral evasiveness. None of us can definately say we would not react with physical fear to life threatening situations. There is a saying in AA that I've heard upon occasion. "Courage is fear that has said its prayers." That works for the larger moral issues, it can not always defeat how we are hard wired in response to danger.

Answer 7

I agree with the very first answer given. I also know that what we think we will do in a frightening or challenge situation is not always how we do react. . I would like to think I would be strong and do whatever it takes ,like rescuing someone,or defending the defenseless ,my heart and mind tell me I would but in actuality ....would I ?
Would I overcome my own fears and react ? I hope that I would.All humans have a fight or flight mechanism ,we are born with it. How it is triggered is different in each one of us.

Answer 8

Thats the old flight or fight question you either put it down to body chemisty such as adrenaline where you just attack when provoked, dopamine, were your realy unsure wether to attack or not or serotononin wether your just really unhappy and don't want to do either prrobly a mixure of all three. who knows and who' live long enought to find out. if you want answers answer a question with a question until your happy enough with the answer. don't let someone bulshit you, don't let someone try palm you off don't resolve a question to a simple answer.,there trying not to hurt your feelings. lost it there don't rest or fight to the death lol, but make sure what chemical is working.

Answer 9

It's called bystander intervention. Some of us have high levels of moral and justice, which makes us want to react to hardships, bullying etc, whilst others of us have low levels, due to a high Ego or ID status (basically think only of themselves and are not concerned of others unless it affects them)
Where do you fit in?

Answer 10

self-esteem levels, having a sense of morality definitely makes one heroic