POLI 360 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Psychological Types, Deterrence Theory, Procrastination
15 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Most of the psychological theories of war were produced during the criticism of deterrence theory. This is because decisions are made by individuals. Individuals behave as if they maximise their utility, they also act as unitary actors when it comes to state decisions. There is an assumption of purposive behaviour that states people want to maximise their utility and so will act in a consistent manner geared to maximising utility. They will pick the most efficient option that maximises their output/utility (borrowed from economics) Hence nation states and leaders will select choices that maximise a state"s national interest. This is usually assumed to be maximising security, or economic interests. Basically: psychological factors can affect decision making and leaders personalities matter when it comes to decisions made in war and international relations. This theory is however criticised because it is said to be an oversimplification of the thought process.
