Role Model: A person or group serving as an exemplar for the goals, attitudes, or behavior of an individual, who identifies with and seeks to imitate the role model. – APA Dictionary of Psychology

Public role models can be athletes, artists, scientists, activists, or politicians. They model how to behave, rather than preach about it. Young people are more likely to emulate what they see modeled than to follow abstract advice.

When I was little, my public role model was President John F. Kennedy. Of course, his philandering and womanizing weren’t reported then, and I was too young to understand even if reporters had reported what they knew.

When my daughter was little, her public role model was Dr. Martin Luther King. When she was a teenager, she added Malcom X and Sally Ride.

Public role models need not be flawless. When they openly........

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