[5] The behaviour of individuals with hero syndrome can be detrimental to the lives of those around them, putting innocent people at risk in the pursuit of creating a "victim".
The term "hero syndrome" was first introduced following the discovery of a bomb on the 1984 Turkish Olympic team's bus by Los Angeles police officer Jimmy Wade Pearson.
[7] Due to high, fragile self-esteem and a failure to see fault in their own actions, narcissists are more susceptible to portraying others as the victims or villains in order to boost their image.
The classification of heroes in individualistic cultures revolves largely around the idea of "rescuing" someone from harm by putting themselves in physically dangerous situations.
[9] In a federal study of more than 80 firefighter arsonists, the most common reason cited for starting the fire was simply the excitement of putting it out, not to cause harm or exact revenge.
An extensive investigation and search were then carried out, collecting evidence and conducting interviews, resulting in the officer eventually pleading guilty to fabricating the entire story and shooting himself.
[11] There is already-existing controversy about workplace and employment mental health screening due to the ethical concerns raised regarding biases, false negatives, etc.
These are careers often labelled as 'heroic' and have the potential to attract those with hero syndrome due to the constant ability to exhibit courageous and heroic acts.
[12] Having individuals who suffer from hero syndrome in this field would increase the prevalence of self-inflicted incidents, creating a drain on resources of both time and people.