The article discussed six different psychological phenomenons but the one that stood out to me the most was Chicken. In this theory, each side tries to push the other as close as they can to the edge to make them submit first. A game is played that is just like this in which two people drive cars as fast as they can towards one another and the first person to turn away is the chicken. You are trying to push the other person as close to the edge as possible without getting physically harmed. The reason why this stood out to me is because it relates very much so to my term paper. My term paper is on the psychological principles during the cold war and the effect that it had on the war. This phenomenon of chicken was very much so apparent during the Cold War it was all about who was going to blink first/submit first. A prime example of this was when Russian ships approached and crossed the blockade surrounding Cuba. The Russians were playing Chicken with Kennedy trying to get him to make the first move and attack the Rusian fleet but he did not do so. Who was going to make the first move and turn the cold war into a hot war?
Critical Thinking
This is true of a lot of international diplomacy, especially because leaders have to balance domestic politics with foreign policy. Even if giving is the best move strategically, they cannot always afford to do so because they would be hurt domestically because of it. This forces them into a game of chicken instead of working to cooperate with the other country.
I think the way you took the game of chicken and applied it to the Cold War is so fascinating! I never thought about it like that, but you are right. The Cold War was this passive aggressive teenage girl fight (on a larger scale) but never entered what you call a “Hot war”.
That reminds me about what I liked so much regarding this reading; it has so many practical applications and connections. I’m sure that you could find the other psychological game theory topics in your research paper as well!