PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS IN FOREIGN POLICY DECISION-MAKING (I): DECISION-MAKING MODELS

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The psychology of decision-making has been gaining more attention than before. It is growing rapidly. Three main perspectives of the psychology of decision making include the standpoint of cognitive psychology, the influence of social psychology and the viewpoint of neuropsychology. This influence is obvious in the field on international relations, especially the foreign policy decision making. This study represents the first part in which we will present the models of decision-making in international relations: rational actor, organizational politics, bureaucratic politics, cybernetic model, prospect theory and poliheuristic model. The example on which we will demonstrate de models of foreign policy decision- making is the decision of not invading Irak from 1991.

Keywords

• decision-making process
• rational actor model
• organizational politics model
• bureaucratic politics model