What was he thinking? That was the sentiment most people felt when news broke that the Patriots were caught cheating last September. When spygate occurred, Bill Belichick became public enemy number one in the NFL. Why would he go to such lengths to get a competitive edge against his opponents? Is cheating innate or is it something that people develop over time as a result of how they were nurtured throughout life? To understand why Belichick cheated, it helps to look at why some people tend to have a personality that leads them to cheat.
Much like jealousy and empathy, the desire to cheat may be an innate thing that drives people to get ahead of their competition. In the classic Prisoner’s Dilemma task, people are presented with a situation where the individual must decide whether to cooperate with others to reduce both people’s problems or deceive the other person in the attempt to have an advantage over that person. When people believe they won’t get caught, they often cheat in order to help themselves. When it comes down to it, most people would cheat in order to get ahead of their competition whether it is academically or in sports.
From an evolutionary prospective, people in earlier days would need to create an advantage over their competition in order to survive, commonly known as survival of the fittest. However, as societies have become more advanced, societal norms have become a larger part of everyone’s life. Instead of simply surviving, people must work together and be a part of the large picture instead of working for just themselves. When people believe they can’t be caught doing something, they will often resort to the innate thought that leads them lie, cheat or steal in order to get ahead in life. In Belichick’s case, it was likely his own arrogance that led to the belief that he could do something wrong and not get caught.
On the opposite end of the coaching spectrum from Belichick is Tony Dungy. Although just as competitive as Belichick, a person would never find Dungy cheating in the way Belichick and the Patriots did. Most people can suppress the natural urge to cheat because they were taught that it is simply wrong. However, those feelings will always be in a person’s body because of the way the human brain is wired to give yourself an advantage no matter what the consequence is. In Dungy’s case, he can suppress those emotions, likely because of past experiences that shape the way he thinks about his profession and his life.
Both Belichick and Dungy have the same natural instincts but only Belichick acted upon those instincts. With everything in life, it is important to realize that it is normal to have feelings that would lead a person to do something that they would later regret. Everyone has those feelings but those who are able to suppress it will likely get farther ahead in the long run, despite the up-front accolades. Now, Belichick has 500,000 reasons and questions about his legacy to suppress his arrogance.
Much like jealousy and empathy, the desire to cheat may be an innate thing that drives people to get ahead of their competition. In the classic Prisoner’s Dilemma task, people are presented with a situation where the individual must decide whether to cooperate with others to reduce both people’s problems or deceive the other person in the attempt to have an advantage over that person. When people believe they won’t get caught, they often cheat in order to help themselves. When it comes down to it, most people would cheat in order to get ahead of their competition whether it is academically or in sports.
From an evolutionary prospective, people in earlier days would need to create an advantage over their competition in order to survive, commonly known as survival of the fittest. However, as societies have become more advanced, societal norms have become a larger part of everyone’s life. Instead of simply surviving, people must work together and be a part of the large picture instead of working for just themselves. When people believe they can’t be caught doing something, they will often resort to the innate thought that leads them lie, cheat or steal in order to get ahead in life. In Belichick’s case, it was likely his own arrogance that led to the belief that he could do something wrong and not get caught.
On the opposite end of the coaching spectrum from Belichick is Tony Dungy. Although just as competitive as Belichick, a person would never find Dungy cheating in the way Belichick and the Patriots did. Most people can suppress the natural urge to cheat because they were taught that it is simply wrong. However, those feelings will always be in a person’s body because of the way the human brain is wired to give yourself an advantage no matter what the consequence is. In Dungy’s case, he can suppress those emotions, likely because of past experiences that shape the way he thinks about his profession and his life.
Both Belichick and Dungy have the same natural instincts but only Belichick acted upon those instincts. With everything in life, it is important to realize that it is normal to have feelings that would lead a person to do something that they would later regret. Everyone has those feelings but those who are able to suppress it will likely get farther ahead in the long run, despite the up-front accolades. Now, Belichick has 500,000 reasons and questions about his legacy to suppress his arrogance.
No comments:
Post a Comment