POLI 260 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Cuban Missile Crisis, Closure (Psychology), Loss Aversion
Document Summary
Why don"t decision-makers always act rationally? i. e. goering in wwii: role of psychological biases. Politically pressured intelligence / misuse of it? (bureaucratic politics) Individual level explanations for challenges in dealing with climate change: psychological. We find it harder to confront problems that creep up on us than emergencies that hit quickly. We block out complex problems that lack simple solutions. We dislike delayed benefits and so are reluctant to sacrifice today for future gains: prospect. Theory = loss aversion: losses hurt more than future gains feel good. Defensive avoidance -> denial: global climate change. Dispositional factors (qualities) abilities, traits, motives. Levels of analysis: putting the concepts to work. How do we explain key decisions like those leading to major events such as wars (ww1, wwii, Is it able to handle tensions, threats and challenges? i. e. growth & consumption vs. demographic & environmental crisis.
