Chapter One Summary and Analysis

Summary and Analysis

            Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman wrote the book “Sway The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior.” Rom is a psychologist and Ori is a businessman. They are brothers who do a fantastic job at explaining the sway of irrational behavior and how it works in people’s lives so easily everyday. Chapter one, “Anatomy of an Accident,” was a great way to begin this book.

            In this chapter there are many stories explaining sway, but the story of Van Zanten caught my attention the most. Van Zanten was what everyone thought of as a spectacular pilot. He had a spotless record and was head of KLM’s safety program. Just like any other day he was flying a plane full of passengers. He had his plan of the day drawn out in his mind until he was notified that the airport he was scheduled to land at was closed down. He was directed to land at another airport farther away. He quickly came up with another plan of how his day would go. When things changed not according to plan Van Zanten was blindsided. He didn’t want to stay for the rest period and even though it was too foggy to take off in which he was very aware of Van Zanten decided to test his luck for his reputation and ended up taking off and hitting another large plane. Instead of pleasing himself he ended up killing not only himself but also everyone else in those two planes. 

            This shocking story was a perfect way to describe sway. It was obvious that Van Zanten was swayed. This event caused him to do something very irrational and unlike himself. If only he would of stayed over night for the rest period the loss of lives would have been prevented. Van Zanten couldn’t help that he was told to land at Tenerife. He also couldn’t help that the fog was coming in while he was refueling. In my opinion Van Zanten’s reputation wouldn’t have been ruined. He would have been thinking about his passengers and their safety which sounds like a wonderful pilot to me. His decision was extremely selfish and detrimental.

            It is obvious after reading, “Sway” that the irresistible pull of irrational behavior is something very serious. We experience it all the time just maybe not in so serious of a way yet. This book has taught me a lesson. In the field I want to be apart of I cannot allow myself to be swayed or lives can also be lost like in this example. It’s a scary thing that we can’t allow ourselves to become susceptible to. These authors did a wonderful job informing the audience of “Sway.” The length of sentences and paragraphs varied throughout this chapter, but it never took my mind off of the story. They did a very could job with holding my attention. Not once did I check to see how long the chapter was or how many pages I had left to read. In this chapter I was so focused and shocked on this story that it was hard to keep focused on the others. After going back and reading this chapter again I was able to tell that the other stories helped tie the chapter and explanation all together. The author’s were able to get their point across in a relatable way. Reading this chapter I felt as if I were there witnessing the plane crash, as if I could hear Van Zanten’s thoughts, and as if I could feel the fear within the passengers of both planes as they realized it was too late.