Hubris, ancient and modern : concepts, comparisons, connections / edited by Douglas Cairns, Nick Bouras, Eugene Sadler-Smith.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Cairns, Douglas L., editor.

Bouras, Nick, editor.

Sadler-Smith, Eugene, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pride and vanity.

Corporate culture.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxvi, 292 pages) : illustrations (black and white), digital, PDF file(s)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2026.

Summary:

Hubris is now a term of art in a number of academic disciplines and remains a hotly debated topic in Classics. This unique volume of essays by experts in Classics, Business and Management Studies and Psychology explores the connections, continuities and differences between ancient hubris and its modern counterparts.

Contents:

Cover

Half-title page

Title page

Imprints page

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

List of Contributors

Foreword: Hubris in Politics

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Hubris Today

Ancient Hybris

Ancient Hybris and Modern Hubris

Part I Hybris in Classical Greece

Chapter 1 Hybris in Ancient Greece: Syndrome, Antisocial Behaviour - or Both?

Aristotle's Definition: Strengths and Difficulties

Seven Types of Hybris

Hybris and Thinking Big

Chapter 2 Lucky Fools: Luck, Risk and Merit in the Ancient Greek Concept of Hybris

Aristotle

Hybris and the Assessment of Risk

Hybris, Luck and Merit

Conclusions

Chapter 3 The Hybris of the Downtrodden: Honour and Social Control in Ancient Greek Society (and Today)

Bottom-Up Hybris in Aristotle's Rhetoric: Social Comparison and Perspective

The Hybris of the Lower Classes

Interstate Relations

The Hybris of the Enslaved (and Women)

Conclusion

Chapter 4 Hybris and Leadership: Identity Leadership and the Paradox of Alcibiades

The Social Identity Theory of Leadership

Aspects of Athenian Identity

Alcibiades' Hybris

Part II Hubris in Contemporary Psychology and Neuroscience

Chapter 5 Neurobiological and Neuropsychological Perspectives on the Hubris Syndrome

Role of the Prefrontal Cortex in Decision-Making

Impact of Personality Traits and Manic Symptoms on Prefrontal Cortex Function

Effects of Illness and Drug Abuse on Fronto-Executive Function

Neurotransmitters, Temperament and Personality

Effects of Stress on Prefrontal Function and Its Relevance to Hubris Syndrome

Conclusions: Synthesis and Theory

Chapter 6 Ordinary Hubris: A View from Social and Personality Psychology

Self-Enhancement as Ordinary Hubris.

Five Key Manifestations of Self-Enhancement

Narcissism as Excessive Self-Enhancement

The Costs of Self-Enhancement

Curtailing Self-Enhancement

The Benefits of Self-Enhancement

Chapter 7 Power, Hubris and Self-Serving Behaviour

The Emergence of Power

Unchecked Self-Serving Biases and Hubris

Overconfidence

Elevated Self-Concept and Sense of Superiority

Social Cognition, Goal Focus and Entrepreneurship

Attenuating the Effects of Power on Hubris and Self-Serving Biases

Self-Selection into Power Positions

Part III Hubris in Business, Leadership and Management

Chapter 8 Twenty-First-Century Hubris: From Tragedy to Personality Disorder and Social Process

A Problem Shared

Unheroic Kingship

Vicious Traps

Decline and Fall

Winner Takes All?

Money as the Root of Hubris?

Hubris as a Relational Phenomenon

Complexity Leading to Chaos and Catastrophe

Chapter 9 Overreaching Leaders: Towards an Integrative Framework of CEO Hubris

CEO Hubris as a Process versus a State or Behaviour

CEOs' (Pre)disposition to Hubris

Triggers of Hubris

CEO Devolution towards Hubris: Inflated Self-Evaluation Coupled with Overconfidence

Concluding Thoughts

Chapter 10 Hubris and Leadership: The Role of, and Warning Signs in, Storytelling and Myth-Making

A Tale of Two CEOs

Hubris in Corporate Leadership

Storytelling and Myth-Making

Stories as Conduit, Hubris as Content

Hubris or Otherwise at Apple

The Moral of the Story(telling)

Chapter 11 Hubristic Entrepreneurial Leadership: Targets, Interpretation and Reaction to Performance

Research Foundations of Entrepreneurial Hubris

Definition of Firm Targets

Interpretation of Performance

Reactions to Performance

Conclusions.

Chapter 12 Hubris in Business Organisations: Causes, Symptoms and Remedies

The Negative Effects of Hubris in Corporations

The Positive Effects of Hubris?

Hubris in Banking and Finance

Organisational Inflection Points

References

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from home page (viewed on January 7, 2026).

ISBN:

1-009-46144-3

1-009-46140-0

9781009461429