Defining the Meta-Story of Heroism Science: Initiation, Formation, and Governance in an Emerging Discipline

Authors

• Peter Bray, Bethlehem Tertiary InstituteFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This article traces the meta-story of the journal Heroism Science across Volumes 1–10 by treating the publication record as a living narrative of field formation. Using an eight-dimension decoding framework (D1–D8), it argues that the journal’s development is best understood as a braided trajectory in which methodological maturation and theoretical maturation co-evolve. Special issues function as turning points: downside dynamics, whistleblowing, and heroic screens formalize consequence sensitivity and contestation, while later conference and legacy issues consolidate pluralism and reflexive ethics. The article contributes (a) an explicit coding and audit method for reading a journal as a field-forming narrative and (b) a governance-oriented synthesis linking evidence standards, ethics, and representation. It concludes with research programs for stronger behavioral measurement, clearer intervention ethics, and culturally plural models of heroic meaning.

DOI

10.26736/hs.2026.01.02

Recommended Citation

Bray, Peter (2026) "Defining the Meta-Story of Heroism Science: Initiation, Formation, and Governance in an Emerging Discipline," Heroism Science: Vol. 11: Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.26736/hs.2026.01.02
Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/heroism-science/vol11/iss1/2