Rather than being a different type of compassion, heroic compassion is a subset of each of the main forms of compassion: global, stranger, familiar, or familial compassionate actions.
The distinguishing feature is that the compassionate action might endanger the life of the person who acts. It is thought to be common for risky compassionate action to be shown by a parent toward an offspring who either is in danger of immediate harm or is already being harmed and obviously suffering.
Heroic compassion can be either proximal or distal.Most people do not know if they have heroic compassion, never having been in a situation in which there was a need for a risky rescue.
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