Abstract
Heroization is the social process by which individuals are elevated into heroes — a construct central to understanding how societies assign moral status, narrative meaning, and collective identity to exemplary figures (Allison, 2024).
Allison, S. T. (2024). Heroization: The making of heroes. In Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer. DOI
Key findings
- Heroization as social — Allison (2024) treats heroization as a process of making heroes — not merely recognizing pre-existing virtue but actively elevating individuals through narrative, attribution, and cultural framing.
- Encyclopedia entry scope: — Short Springer chapter (5 pp.) situates heroization within the broader psychology-of-heroism literature pioneered by Allison and colleagues.
Application
When labeling nurses or teachers as ‘heroes’ during crisis may feel appreciative, but Stanley & Kay (2024) show heroization can increase expectations that these workers volunteer for exploitation — the label carries behavioral assumptions beyond admiration — open this cite for the study behind the move.