Courage in Psychology

Courage is a virtue marked by inner strength, which enables people to confront the challenges of life even when they experience fear and anxiety. Researchers have identified different types of courage such as physical, moral, social, task, vital, and spiritual.

Courage involves the interaction of several dimensions of psychological functioning represented in the COPES initialism of Cognition, Observable Behavior, Physiology, and Emotion within a Social context (See the SCOPES model).

PHYSICAL COURAGE

Physical courage is evident when we learn about soldiers who risked their lives to defend their comrades on the world’s battlefields. But closer to home we learn of first responders rescuing people from a blazing fire or a bystander diving into a freezing cold river to save a fallen child.

Uri Nili and his colleagues (2010) documented biological changes in the brain when people attempt to overcome fear. They brought a live snake into a lab where volunteers, who were afraid of snakes, agreed to have their brain responses examined (fMRI). When presented with snakes, the known fear circuits in the brain registered fear. Brain differences (changes in the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex) were evident between their efforts to overcome fear compared to times when they succumbed to fear.

MORAL COURAGE

Moral courage involves taking a stand for that which is right and just when such a stand involves some element of risk. Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are examples of people displaying moral, social, and physical courage when they violated the norms, policies, or laws that denied them access to the same privileges their government provided to others.

VITAL COURAGE

Some thinkers have commented on the special courage (sometimes called vital courage) required to cope with severe illness. While some may be tempted to give up, others courageously struggle to cope with such difficulties as loss of mobility, hearing, and sight, or difficulty managing pain. Even treatment for some illnesses can be painful and cause disabling side-effects. Faustine Williams and Stephen Jeanetta (2016)  interviewed breast cancer survivors to understand their challenges. They discovered several fears that arose during the process from diagnosis to treatment and aftercare. Examples of fears to overcome included potential losses of appearance, sexuality, quality of life, and a return of the cancer.

SOCIAL COURAGE

Social courage is the kind of courage people need when taking a public stand against social injustice or unethical behavior that puts them at risk for harmful social consequences. Social courage overlaps with moral courage when the issue is framed in terms of a moral principle. But not every problem with governments, businesses, or social organizations is a moral concern. For example, workers who seek better wages or benefits can be at risk for reprisal in companies that do not welcome criticism.

TASK COURAGE

Task courage is the personal strength to persevere with a daunting task that involves apprehension. Andrew Martin (2011) of the University of Sydney studied courage to face challenging academic tasks in a sample of 7,637 high school students. Such tasks can produce measurable fear and anxiety. Martin found that courage and confidence were similar in some ways but the presence of courage was very important compared to students whose fears led to avoidance or helplessness.

SPIRITUAL COURAGE

Spiritual courage is the act of persevering against challenging situations that make life seem to meaningless or purposeless. Spiritual courage involves finding a meaningful answer to the question, Why go on living? Spiritually courageous people create meaning, reframe life events, and exercise the will to live. For some, spiritual courage comes from a stalwart religious faith often illustrated in scriptural stories like David and Goliath (Sutton, 2019).


Measure Courage

See the 23-item Woodard Pury Courage Scale


References

Martin, A. J. (2011). Courage in the classroom: Exploring a new framework predicting academic performance and engagement. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023020

Nili, U., Goldberg, H., Weizman, A., & Dudai, Y. (2010). Fear Thou Not: Activity of Frontal and Temporal Circuits in Moments of Real-Life Courage. Neuron, 66 (6), 949-962 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.06.009

Sutton, G.W. (2019). Living well: 10 big ideas of faith and a meaningful life. Springfield, MO: Sunflower. (On AMAZON). ISBN-10 1796320161  ISBN-13 978-1796320169

Williams, F. & Jeanetta, S.C. (2016). Lived experiences of breast cancer survivors after diagnosis, treatment and beyond: qualitative study. Health Expectations, 19 (3), 631-42. doi: 10.1111/hex.12372. 

See chapter 2, Discovering Courage, in Living Well to find ideas to develop courage.

Stories illustrating courage

Miep Geis in A Small Light. Miep helped save Anne Frank and her family for years.

Odette Samson in Code Name: Lise. Odette was a spy for the allies in World War II.

Louis Zamperini in the book and film, Unbroken. Olympian Louis Zamperini survived being shot down in the Pacific Ocean followed by severe abuse in a Japanese prison camp.