What role does competition for limited resources play in such situations?
It is a supposed struggle for resources. The hotels provide enough loungers in relation to the number of holidaymakers. Statistically speaking, the different holiday habits – early risers or late risers – distribute the usage time over the whole day. This is where a psychological factor comes into play, which can already be seen at the buffet: although enough food is served, the food towers are piled up on your own plate because “it could all be gone in 15 minutes.” Hamster mentality – what I have, I have and not the others.
Sociologically, it is about Darwinism, i.e. “survival of the fittest”. The usual translation error “survival of the fittest” is unconsciously corrected here. It’s not about being the strongest, it’s about being the most adaptable. This is the correct translation. It is not the muscles that ensure survival, but the sophistication to adapt to the environment.
In the Battle of the Neanderthals there were winners and losers. This primal feeling can hardly be felt in everyday life – we always have to make compromises and cut backs. Since very few of us would survive a real fight in a metal cage, we look for other competition venues. A reserved lounger can give us an intoxicating feeling of victory.
In the race for the lounger, we are all the same – whether professors, specialists or semi-skilled workers. Here everyone can put their supposed smarts to the test – including the triumph when later lolling on the winner’s couch.
What are the deep-seated psychological reasons that make people fight for deck chairs?
The first reason often cited is territorial behavior. We mark our paid territory. Similar to a dog’s leg raise at a neighbor’s fence. The distribution of resources is a question of survival – also due to the current world situation. From natural gas or oil we have to B. switch to other heating and fuels. The last bastion for which we can fight without alternative is the lounger by the pool – this is where the caveman in us shows up, fighting for survival: Refined, with ingenious techniques, leading the others by the nose. The only thing missing is that we announce this loudly, drumming on our chests like Tarzan.
Interestingly, this ritual is less evident on cruise ships. That’s because people are literally “in the same boat”. Since we secretly suspect that our reservation behavior is borderline, our shame to do so sinks because we cannot avoid the losers. That’s not true with 5,000 seafarers – but the basic instincts of the Ark tell us so.
There are indications that this behavior is passed on from generation to generation: when the children are sent to the pool at 7 a.m. with all the utensils to reserve the loungers at the edge of the pool and then take turns every hour – while the parents have breakfast.
To what extent do such conflicts reflect our everyday behavior, only in a different context?
The crime scene in Liege is a reflection of our manners. Instead of politeness, decency and good manners, basic instincts are required. In professional life we can only express ourselves to a limited extent, as there are clear framework conditions that are specified by the boss. Our vacation is a time space in which we want to determine everything, really everything. Self-empowerment is a somewhat awkward term: we design the recovery 100% the way we want it.
- The already mentioned buffet has to serve everything, even if we don’t like it.
- Oh, water skiing is not available on site, although it was advertised in the brochure, which I can’t do because of my knees.
- The entertainment is only from 10:00 a.m., although I’m still asleep – unacceptable.
Like a pharaoh, I want to have access to everything at all times – after all, I paid for it. The offer is squeezed like a lemon down to the last drop.
Another phenomenon is the tongue-lashing “We were here first!” This takes on a special meaning in the time of the immigration question. The “old” guests have obtained privileges by staying longer, which are demonstratively put on display. The “newcomers” must fit into these norms without complaint and accept the hierarchy of the “old-established”. The term hospitality takes on a whole new meaning. Neither in immigration policy nor in the holiday mood is this a goal-oriented behavior.
How do other cultures deal with the situation and what can we learn from them?
These psychological behavioral patterns are also present in other cultures. The dispute with the British is often used as an example in the media. There is even talk of the “German Beach Towel Brigade”. It seems to me that this is more of an old rivalry from the football days, which has found its continuation in the popular sport of “lounger reservations”.
We can learn from the following idea of the African sub-Saharan countries: Ubuntu – that means philosophy of humanity: “I am because we are.” People are connected to each other on a social, political or other level. That is why we must behave in a morally correct manner in the interests of the common good. Everything and no matter what we do has consequences for the people around us – even if it’s just sunbathing by the pool. I know this demographic represents the lowest proportion of pool goers, but that perspective could help us with many things in life.
There are pictures on the internet where bath towels neatly folded on the floor in front of the front door simulate a queue. This is another evolutionary step in the lying challenge. I’m already waiting for the robot that, with the help of AI, will determine and implement the best tactic on behalf of the package tourist.
So it all boils down to the Hamlet theorem: rest or rest? – that is the question.
Or with the lines that many lounger reservers are familiar with from their childhood: 1-2 or 3. You have to decide – 3 loungers are free.
Also worth reading: Communication Expert – What Barbie, Oppenheimer and Wacken reveal about our zeitgeist
Further questions and expert content on the topic:
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Christopher Maria Michalski
Entrepreneur, conflict navigator and shareholder of start-ups
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Christopher Maria Michalski
Entrepreneur, conflict navigator and shareholder of start-ups
…
Christopher Maria Michalski
Entrepreneur, conflict navigator and shareholder of start-ups
…
Christopher Maria Michalski
Entrepreneur, conflict navigator and shareholder of start-ups