Background
Ainslie, George William was born on September 19, 1944 in Ithaca, New York, United States. Son of George William and Elizabeth Lee Ainslie.
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book
Picoeconomics: The Strategic Interaction of Successive Motivational States within the Person (Studies in Rationality and Social Change)
(Originally published in 1992, this book examines an eleme...)
Originally published in 1992, this book examines an elementary human paradox: that we are endangered by our own wishes; or, as Oscar Wilde put it, 'When the gods want to punish us they answer our prayers.' Even though this observation is ancient and confirmed by wide experience, none of the disciplines that deal with decision making explain it adequately. Dr. Ainslie uses findings from behavioral experiments to show that there is a basic tendency for humans to form temporary preferences for the poorer but earlier of two goals, when the poorer goal is closer at hand. The implications provide a rationale for puzzling behavior, from Frued's defense mechanism to the force of willpower, as well as conspicuous failures of willpower in addictions and other psychiatric disorders. This approach also sheds light on subjects that have been controversial in moral philosophy: weakness of will, self-deception, freedom, and responsibility.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0521158702/?tag=2022091-20
Picoeconomics: The Strategic Interaction of Successive Motivational States within the Person (Studies in Rationality and Social Change) by George Ainslie (2010-11-25)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FEL2Z8Y/?tag=2022091-20
George William Ainslie
Edit Profilepsychiatrist behavioral economist
Education
Bachelor, Yale College, 1965; Doctor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 1969.
Career
Intern, Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New York, 1969-1970;
resident in psychiatry, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, 1970-1971, 73-75;
fellow, Harvard University Health Superior vena cava syndrome, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1975-1976;
assistant clinical director, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, 1976-1979;
psychiatrist, VA Medical Center, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, 1979-1990;
chief psychiatry service, VA Medical Center, Coatesville, Pennsylvania, since 1990. Assistant professor Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, 1979-1985, associate professor, 1985-1992. Clinical professor Temple University Medical College, Philadelphia, since 1992.
Research associate Harvard Laboratory Experimental Psychology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1967-1978.
Achievements
Works
book
-
Picoeconomics: The Strategic Interaction of Successive Motivational States within the Person (Studies in Rationality and Social Change)
(Originally published in 1992, this book examines an eleme...)
- Picoeconomics: The Strategic Interaction of Successive Motivational States within the Person (Studies in Rationality and Social Change) by George Ainslie (2010-11-25)
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Picoeconomics: The Strategic Interaction of Successive Motivational States within the Person (Studies in Rationality and Social Change)
Membership
Surgeon, United States Public Health Service, 1971-1973. Member Players Club Swarthmore (stage director), Phi Beta Kappa.
Interests
Connections
Married Elizabeth Boyd Keeney, June 25, 1966. Children: Matthew Forrest, Roger Scott, Eleanor Ruth.
