PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF FOREIGN POLICY,
Abstract
All major actions in international relations have psychological implications and can be psychologically sound or unsound. A foreign policy which is psychologically sound attempts to maximize the desirable effects of action and minimize the undesirable effects in such ways as the following: by taking account of the social and psychological characteristics of politically significant groups abroad; by considering questions of optimum timing and surprise in the light of these characteristics; by paying attention to the possibility of exploiting initial successes; or by permitting or not permitting another power to save face. In these and similar ways, the political strategist attempts to supplement military and economic power by taking advantage of existing social and psychological forces to influence the behavior of various individuals and groups abroad in a desired direction. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 15, 1954
- Accession Number
- AD0604626
Entities
People
- Hans Speier
- W. Phillips Davison
Organizations
- RAND Corporation