ABSTRACT
A policymaking system is comprised of individuals who often come together in small groups within the framework of an organization that is characterized by hierarchy, division of labor and specialization. The decisionmaker constantly deals with both persons and events. The general body of scientific knowledge accumulated through psychological research clearly demonstrates that there are built-in psychological and behavioral distortions in the decisionmaking process, which are impossible for an individual to overcome alone. Three key areas of psychological research or psychological theory are relevant to this issue: attribution theory, cognitive dissonance theory, and groupthink. The growing trend in social psychology is to focus on sources of distortion and attribution bias which are independent of any motivational or dispositional consideration. General psychological theory argues that people would prefer to use, whenever possible, least costly methods. Paying attention to the serious indications would have entailed reopening and reviewing previous policy decisions, with the attendant psychological cost.
