As we were discussing the prisoners dilemma in class this past Monday, I was considering how much the theory to this game deals with the individuals personalities. For example, the point was brought up that some people would not want to rat out a friend in this kind of situation, and that they would not talk for a lesser sentence. I think that this not only shows the individuals loyalty but also a more generous side to their personality. After all, they know the consequence should their partner turn them in. Now that I think of it, I believe that for a prisoner not to compete they must be very daring. If they cooperate and their friend decides not to they are really getting the bad end of the deal.
Well as you all know we soon discussed how competing with the other prisoner would be the rational thing to do. I don't know whether or not it was specifically stated in class, but it seems to me that competing would lead many to believe these people have a more greedy personality. Maybe the prisoner just wants to give it all or nothing in an already bad situation. On the other hand, maybe he figures that if worse comes to worse and he doesn't "win" he is at least screwing over his partner who also tried competing.
One last point to note when considering personality and the prisoners dilemma is how the game itself could influence anybodies personality to change. After all, this is a tough situation to completely wrap your head around. With all of the possibilities and considerations about your partner, thoughts can easily get mingled. Even the two nicest of people could change in to being very greedy if they feel their chances are good and if the stakes are high enough.
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