Lopez, S. J., Rasmussen, H. N., Skorupski, W. P., Koetting, K., Petersen, S. E., & Yang, Y.-T. (2010). Folk conceptualizations of courage. In C. L. S. Pury & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), The psychology of courage: Modern research on an ancient virtue (pp. 23-45). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/12168-002
Four studies examine folk conceptualizations of courage and its different forms. In Study 1, people across cultures describe many forms of courage, with a common component of “taking risks in the face of uncertainty.” Study 2 uses ground-theory methodology finding themes of development, risk, training, courageous people versus courageous actions, and forms of courage. Findings of Study 3, using a repertory grid, support the existence of various forms of courage in samples of young and middle-aged/older adults. Study 4, provides additional, factor analytic support for multiple forms of courage. Collectively, the results of these mixed-methods examinations of implicit theories of courage reveal common factors of the virtue, providing a springboard for more research and explicit theory development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)