Toward a courageous mindset: The subjective act and experience of courage

Abstract

This paper presents a new model outlining the subjective experience of courage. Various positive psychological states and traits are proposed to reduce the level of fear experienced when facing risk, that join with an individual's core values and beliefs to create a courageous mindset which, bolstered by affirming normative and informational social forces, promotes courageous action. Finally, intrapersonal attribution processes are proposed to influence self-perceptions of courageousness and that, through self-reflection, reinforce the courageous mindset, perpetuating future courageous action.