The Others as Social Context: On the Importance of Strategic Interaction
Title
The Others as Social Context: On the Importance of Strategic Interaction
Author
Diekmann, Andreas
Research Area
The Individual and Society
Topic
Social Interactions in Everyday Life
Abstract
An action is defined as “strategic” when the consequences of ego's action depend on the action of alter. Situations of strategic interaction are numerous in daily life, business, and politics. Other peoples' opportunities of actions form ego's strategic context. The dynamics of the impact of the strategic context on ego's action can be modeled by means of game theory. We discuss three examples of strategic interaction models: “Diffusion of responsibility,” Boudon's “logic of relative frustration,” and the problem of social exchange and trust. We demonstrate the effects of the strategic context on the opportunities and beliefs of actors. In contrast to nonstrategic rational choice theory, beliefs and opportunities are not assumed as exogenous. The analysis of the strategic context contributes to a better understanding of the microlevel effects and the macrolevel implications. However, the strict rationality requirements of game models are often violated. In these situations, evolutionary models based on principles of learning and adaptions are more adequate than models based on assumptions of strict rationality.