Fearful Warriors: A Psychological Profile of U.S.-Soviet Relations - Hardcover

Fearful Warriors; A Psychological Profile of U.S.-Soviet Relations

Hardcover. Zustand: Very good. Zustand des Schutzumschlags: Good. Tom Lulevitch (Jacket illustration) (illustrator). First Printing [Stated]. ix, [1], 374 pages. References. Index. Rare signed/inscribed copy. Inscribed by the author on the fep. The inscription that reads: "To Esther and Stan, with warm regards, Ralph". The dust jacket is price clipped and has some wear, soiling, and spine sunning. This work argues that fear rather than ideology is driving the U.S. and Russia to perpetuate the arms race, looks at current sources of political tension, and suggests ways to prevent a nuclear war. Ralph White was born in 1907 and died in 2007. On his centenary he received congratulatory birthday calls from young colleagues such as M. Brewster Smith, Herbert Kelman, and Daniel Christie. "Realistic empathy" is one of the few concepts that politicians have recognized as essential to successful peace initiatives. His leadership was in the realm of psychology and peace, including serving as first president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Reared as a Quaker, he earned his bachelor of arts degree in 1929 from Wesleyan University, where his passion for studying about peace originated. Throughout his distinguished career, Ralph has emphasized the importance of understanding history. Ralph worked in what he called "the innocent part of the CIA" that collected accurate information internationally and informed the U.S. government. This view of what it takes to make a difference in the public arena has powerful implications for how to prepare the next generations of psychologists to work on issues of peace. For more than 7 decades, Ralph White has been one of the handful of towering intellects of the psychology of peace and conflict. From a review in Peace Magazine by Paul Miceli: The usual approach to problems of strategic defense is to assume that the actors involved are rational and their actions serve logical selfish interests. This leads to an analysis in which every possible strategic action is evaluated according to its expected outcome. In his book Fearful Warriors, Ralph K. White calls this kind of analysis "chessplayer's empathy" and he uses it to show that the Soviet actions most feared by the west - a nuclear first strike, an invasion of western Europe and a Mid-East invasion - are highly unlikely. White argues, however, that such a rational approach is insufficient to explain the arms race. White therefore turns to a psychological analysis. In particular he examines the psychological fallacies which underlie the arms race. These include: the image of the enemy as an inhuman monster; the belief that one's own country is always morally justified in any of its actions; the belief that inaction will cause the worst possible outcome to occur, but decisive action will prevent that outcome; the tendency to underrate the opposition that will result (White calls this the "pro-us" illusion); and questionable beliefs about the territory. White's thesis is that the fundamental cause of these incorrect perceptions is fear. He shows that fear was a factor in many modern conflicts, notably World War I, and that it is present to a high degree in both the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Other psychological factors include "macho pride" in one's own country (the desire not to lose any competition), anger, hatred, and aggression. The fallacies generated by these psychological conditions can only be maintained by persistent self-deception. It is well known that prior beliefs shape subsequent perceptions. An obvious example of this is the persistence of obsolete pre-nuclear military strategy in a nuclear age. The tendency to accept only information that fits in with our prior beliefs is a known factor in psychopathology. White argues that it is also present in international conflict situations. Selective inattention is tied up with other errors such as the credulous acceptance of propaganda. One of White's important contributions is the idea that empathy can be applied to international relations. This is a cornerstone of his proposed solution to the arms race, as well as being crucial. Artikel-Nr. 88416

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