In January 2024, while I was a graduate student in the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania under the supervision of Dr. Martin Seligman, he asked me a poignant question over lunch. It was another reflective moment in time following an active shooter incident somewhere in the U.S., with a widely reported police response of officers actively pursuing the gunman, charging upstream from the victims fleeing from the building and imminent danger. Dr. Seligman asked me, “What allows a police officer to run towards gunfire, when everyone else is running away?” My initial response lacked any substantiation and was merely anecdotal. After a deliberative exchange of ideas, he noted the ambiguity and asked, “What is the academic theory?” I was spellbound and had no reply. While I thought he was sure to tell me the answer, and for anyone who knows Marty, he always has an answer, he instead gave me a challenge.
I spent months reading through literature on theories that I thought may be applicable in service of answering this knowledge gap that now had me looking at the question from every possible angle. I landed on three tested ideas that I believed, together, could help support a conclusion beyond… because cops are nuts and fearless. Quite the contrary, they are calculated and act despite fear.
The three components I pulled together are: (1) Self-Determination Theory, (2) Self-Efficacy, and (3) Courage. With the support of a large language model, I chose to call my new meta-theory Courageous Optimism, or in short, COPtimism. Self-determination, or the moral will to act, can be further defined as one’s willful and wantful intent to positively influence a situation because they believe they can. Self-efficacy, or moral skill, can be further defined as one’s belief that they have the proper tools, knowledge of those tools, belief in the effectiveness of those tools, and the skills to use those tools to positively influence the situation. Tools can include physical tools or training as well as less tangible tools, such as emotional tools. Last comes the ingredient known as courage. We define courage not as an absence of fear, but rather as acting with purpose toward positive change despite the presence of fear. Heroism does not result from reckless abandon or a pursuit of recognition for one’s actions toward self-promotion. It is serving a purpose greater than yourself through selfless sacrifice. Risking everything because of your own belief that you can effect positive change for someone else.
While Courageous Optimism is a character trait we generally find in police officers, firefighters, and military service members, we can also find it in moms and dads, teachers, and everyday bystanders who act in service to others during a moment of crisis, to eliminate a threat while setting aside their own fear and risking their own well-being. We saw this most recently in a dad who took down the threat of a 16-year-old active shooter in Bend, Oregon, last week. The juvenile attacker, a former student of the school, killed three students and one teacher before he was dispatched by an armed parent who acted with what I would term Courageous Optimism. I would be remiss if I did not also mention the actions of a teacher who acted with self-determination, self-efficacy, and courage. She threw a phone at the gunman, physically attacked him, and attempted to wrestle his gun away when the parent rushed in to finish the fight. The dad, a parent of two students, followed the attacker into the school and was able to eliminate the shooter before any more violence could be committed.
This dad is a hero by all accounts. He may, however, be struggling to feel that way today, as he was forced to kill someone else’s child. I hope that this dad can take solace in the fact that he saved the lives of so many other children who got to go home to their loving parents. This man did not wear a badge and did not act in any law enforcement capacity or authority where Courageous Optimism is expected or trained. He acted as a protector working toward a positive outcome by eliminating a threat, with a tool that he trained on for proficiency, and the courage to risk it all to save the lives of the most vulnerable.
COPtimism is the answer to what allows police officers police officers to run toward gunfire and other dangers when the rest of the population is compelled to run from them. This is not an indictment of those seeking safety, for that is our innate programming for survival. Some people are just built differently and have the self-determination, self-efficacy, and courage to face the greatest challenges head-on. Ask yourself if you have what it takes to risk it all for someone else. What would you do if the moment called for you to be Courageously Optimistic? Preparing for that moment could save someone’s life, if not your own. I’m ready…are you?