DR. JOHN REVIEWS CLASSIC MALE BRIDGE PLAYER STEREOTYPES.........

1. The Cynical Male : In his eyes any worth , affection and friendliness shown towards him is phoney. The perception of himself and others is tinged with a caustic , bitter and resigned flavour. He seems to be saying " there's no way bridge players can really like and care for each other , because now that the game has become so competitive, it is a dog eat dog situation ! "  Inevitably , he justifies his own cynical position , and dislike of opponents ,  by labelling their motives of as nasty , ruthless and vindictive . 

2. The Autonomous Male :  To him feelings of kindness and forgiveness are weaknesses. Whenever opponents make inadvertent and/or innocent mistakes they must be punished and exploited. Adopting more compassionate feelings would be counter-productive to obtaining good scores . His unrelenting focus to constantly attack his opponents is purely motivated by the desire not to have his own vulnerability and weakness exploited by them . Moreover , to the autonomous male exposing altruistic and sympathetic feelings towards others would be comparable to putting one's Achilles heel in the flight path of the enemy's poisoned arrow. 

3. The Intellectualised male : He dissects , analyses , philosophies and endlessly discusses the opponents' motives , behaviour and actions , but never of himself. Often he is seen trying to " educate " others offering solutions to their problems and failings. Yet these responses never come with any sincerity or genuine concern : they are flat , detached , impersonal and dismissive. He distances himself from feelings of warmth and friendship by adopting a persona of aloofness and  intellectual supremacy . 

4. The Achieving Male :  " You can't win at bridge being nice " and " never give them an inch " are the battle cries of the achieving male. However , for this individual it pays to show respect and regard for one's opponents . Such recognition of their potential threat is an essential requirement to the vital process of survival and winning. Know your enemy . Underestimate them at your peril. In his eyes ,  they are out to derail him at every turn ,  and to snare him in their cunning but highly destructive traps. To win involves astute tactical planning , and employing devious methods,    because success can only be achieved if one is ruthless , clinical and precise . 

Indeed , every bridge club is packed with male players who fit these stereotypes. This of course helps to explain way aggressive behaviour remains so prevalent in the tournament arenas today  .  When the Human condition is at flawed at this , the dream of getting a positive outcome from  best behaviour policies in bridge is nothing more than just wishing thinking.