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Perception and misperception in international politics
114
Book Reviews
interracial communication transaction may at times be more similar than those of the same race. Hence, assumptions concerning values and beliefs should not be based on racial differences. The concluding chapter list and discuss behaviors that will either block or facilitate interracial communication. The authors have defined terms clearly. They have also used diagrams and illustrations effectively. Hence, the material is more easily comprehensible. Consequently, teachers/instructors would not find this book difficult to use as a text and students would not find the material stagnant or boring. Although the focus of this book is interracial communication, the principles, concepts and ideas discussed could also be used in other interethnic or intercultural communication transactions. This is a very important feature of the book. Consequently, all who read this book will find the material quite useful. This is not a book of dos and don’ts, but is more of a guide to help the reader understand the dynamics involved in interracial communication within the interpersonal context. As a result, the reader is stimulated into making the necessary adjustments that will improve his/her communication transactions in an interracial situation. This book should be read by all who are involved in interacial or interethnic communication transactions. Reviewed
by James Adolph Robinson University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan
PERCEPTION AND MISPERCEPTION IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS Robert Jervis (Prince ton: Princeton University Press, 1976 445 pages $25.00 (cloth); $11.50 (paper)
Professor Jervis has produced useful to students of international
a work which may well prove relations, psychological theory,
Book Reviews
115
history, and cross cultural communications. The fact that it is lengthy and often difficult to read makes it of lesser value to undergraduate courses with the possible exception of some advanced students, The book contains four sections. The first is concerned with the importance of perceptions in the making of foreign policy and emphasizes the inadequacy of present deterrent and spiral-model theory in explaining misunderstandings concerning state actions and intentions. The second part deals with the processes of perception. Replete with psychological theory, this part deals with the ways in which the decision makers process incoming information. Of particular interest is the author’s analysis of the decision makers’ immediate concerns, knowledge of history, domestic political environment, and even past successes in policy making all of which may enhance or impede success in a given situation. The third part deals with common misperceptions which bedevil decision makers in international politics. Of particular interest is the point that actors tend to regard the behavior of others as far more centralized, planned and coordinated than it actually is. Actors are also inclined to overestimate their own importance in the eyes of other participants on the world stage. In the final part the author advocates certain tactics which can enhance the success of decision makers in international politics. He cautions against confusing true goals with sub-goals which were originally seen as means toward the achieving of the true goal but which have a tendency to convert themselves into the sole object of policy. He points out the difficulties caused by cognitive dissonance and wishful thinking and advocates the use of “devil’s advocates” in arriving at a policy position. He points out the danger of the decision maker’s determination that his are the only valid perceptions and cautions against irrational consistency or spurious historical analogies. The book contains many illustrations drawn from historical incidents and is an excellent contribution to the growing body of literature integrating psychological theory with international politics. Reviewed by John Keamey George Williams College Downers Grove, Illinois
Book Reviews
interracial communication transaction may at times be more similar than those of the same race. Hence, assumptions concerning values and beliefs should not be based on racial differences. The concluding chapter list and discuss behaviors that will either block or facilitate interracial communication. The authors have defined terms clearly. They have also used diagrams and illustrations effectively. Hence, the material is more easily comprehensible. Consequently, teachers/instructors would not find this book difficult to use as a text and students would not find the material stagnant or boring. Although the focus of this book is interracial communication, the principles, concepts and ideas discussed could also be used in other interethnic or intercultural communication transactions. This is a very important feature of the book. Consequently, all who read this book will find the material quite useful. This is not a book of dos and don’ts, but is more of a guide to help the reader understand the dynamics involved in interracial communication within the interpersonal context. As a result, the reader is stimulated into making the necessary adjustments that will improve his/her communication transactions in an interracial situation. This book should be read by all who are involved in interacial or interethnic communication transactions. Reviewed
by James Adolph Robinson University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan
PERCEPTION AND MISPERCEPTION IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS Robert Jervis (Prince ton: Princeton University Press, 1976 445 pages $25.00 (cloth); $11.50 (paper)
Professor Jervis has produced useful to students of international
a work which may well prove relations, psychological theory,
Book Reviews
115
history, and cross cultural communications. The fact that it is lengthy and often difficult to read makes it of lesser value to undergraduate courses with the possible exception of some advanced students, The book contains four sections. The first is concerned with the importance of perceptions in the making of foreign policy and emphasizes the inadequacy of present deterrent and spiral-model theory in explaining misunderstandings concerning state actions and intentions. The second part deals with the processes of perception. Replete with psychological theory, this part deals with the ways in which the decision makers process incoming information. Of particular interest is the author’s analysis of the decision makers’ immediate concerns, knowledge of history, domestic political environment, and even past successes in policy making all of which may enhance or impede success in a given situation. The third part deals with common misperceptions which bedevil decision makers in international politics. Of particular interest is the point that actors tend to regard the behavior of others as far more centralized, planned and coordinated than it actually is. Actors are also inclined to overestimate their own importance in the eyes of other participants on the world stage. In the final part the author advocates certain tactics which can enhance the success of decision makers in international politics. He cautions against confusing true goals with sub-goals which were originally seen as means toward the achieving of the true goal but which have a tendency to convert themselves into the sole object of policy. He points out the difficulties caused by cognitive dissonance and wishful thinking and advocates the use of “devil’s advocates” in arriving at a policy position. He points out the danger of the decision maker’s determination that his are the only valid perceptions and cautions against irrational consistency or spurious historical analogies. The book contains many illustrations drawn from historical incidents and is an excellent contribution to the growing body of literature integrating psychological theory with international politics. Reviewed by John Keamey George Williams College Downers Grove, Illinois