Identifying Archetypes

  Overview: Your textbook defines archetypes as “system structures that produce . . . common patterns of problematic behavior.” The reading for this module discusses eight such patterns. For example, a baseball team that has just won the World Series attracts very good players the following year, which may translate into more success for that team in the future. This is an example of the archetype defined as “success to the successful.” Patterns of how systems don’t react the way that we expect them to: Tragedy of the commons Trend towards low performance Policy change Seeking the wrong goal Gaming the rules Escalation Shifting the burden to the intervenor Success to the successful