Monday, November 30, 2009
Are Three Heads Really Better Than One? Week 12 Post
The term Groupthink was coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972). It is when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making. It is like peer pressure on steriods.
Share an example of Groupthink in action that you know from history, personal experience or observation. Because we are social beings, we are all prone to Groupthink. What might we do to prevent becoming prey to the power of Groupthink?
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I've never been allowed into a click... or into a group. No one in this class is probably going to take that on board but I haven't. so... I don't know how to answer.... I don't think family really counts here... and that's the only experience I have
ReplyDeleteBeing an entrepreneur in spirit, I must confess that I like and enjoy making my own decisions. If and when, the choice or decision affects me personally in anyway,shape or form. I have seen to many groups make really horrible decisions, and that is why I abhor group think.So may I suggest, that we as rational and intelligent human beings, think for ourselves!Now for an example of group think, I will draw upon a small story from my forthcoming book. Once there was a little car that had broken down. Well, a bunch of well meaning men gathered round and each one gave their opinion as what was wrong. The whole affair dragged on for about five hours. When the men finally left, the ground around the little car was left littered with empty beer cans, and the little car was still there broken down with its hood propped open! The moral of the story is: The little car needed a mechanic. Not a bunch of beer drinking men who could only offer a bunch of hot air! - F.Solis Sorcerer of words
ReplyDeleteA community of people which is surprisingly susceptible to this "groupthink" is the scientific community. Every field of science has a historical example of a biased, self-perpetuated majority that side with popular wisdom rather than even consider a hypothesis that is observationally sound, merely because it goes against the grain. It's driven by a resistance to change; some scientists spend their whole careers taking one hypothesis for granted, and reassessing it against alternatives requires a great deal of work. The result are hypotheses that, though valid, are simply not supported enough or marketed enough to young scientists in order to receive enough critical attention. An example of such may be the ongoing refusal of most cosmologists to even consider that there are alternatives to the Inflationary model that are just as supported by observation (e.g. Steinhardt's and Turok's Cyclic model). Another example maybe the hypothesis that was proposed as a valid explanation for the physiological cause of ulcers (i.e. a previously unknown bacteria, of all things). The hypothesis was spurned by the community because it flew in the face of conventional treatments. It was ultimately proven true and not long ago a Nobel prize was awarded accordingly. The community usually settles into a hypothesis that, though imperfect, satisfies their immediate needs, and it usually discourages dissent from that popular hypothesis or the consideration of alternatives. It makes sense that this tendency would exist in the scientific community, since most of the contributing people are of similar backgrounds in academia and are insulated from outside opinion, if only because of the technicality of their fields.
ReplyDeleteI think the best example form history would be the Manson gang. He sure had them brain washed to think many terrible things. I don't know how anybody can fall for stuff like this. I cant image all these woman wanting to all sleep with the same man. How he got them to do the killing for him is also very hard for me to understand. It sure does happen I would like to think that i'm to mentally tough for someone like that.
ReplyDeleteAn apparently classic and personally shocking example of groupthink risk was the Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986. Against the recommendations of individual engineers, the “group” agreed to launch and we all know what happened next. Engineers of the space shuttle KNEW about some of the faulty parts MONTHS before takeoff, but they did not want negative press so they pushed ahead with the launch anyway "hoping for the best." I remember seeing that as a kid and how upset I was. KNowing this informationnot actually makes me more upset that they sent those people to die. I mean just imagine if one of that crew on the shuttle was your dad or your mom and they died because some engineer knowingly sent them to their death because of the dynamic of groupthink.
ReplyDeleteDude, cults. Like Ryan also said, Manson and other cults draw in the people that dont really know what they stand for. They are searching for something, belonging, a spiritual relationship or connection, even family. A person that stands firmly- whether in faith or in themselves- will not go looking for this or be easily influenced.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree that the Manson Cult is a prime example of groupthink. Also, that guy from Waco, David Koresh (or the Branch Davidians). That guy had all of his followers convinced that he was God incarnate and they followed everyhting he commanded, including alleged child molestation, rape and incest. Like Ryan said, I can't imagine how a mother would willingly put their child in a situation like this, but it happened. I also agree with Violet in that people who are string in their own beliefs won't fall victim to groupthink.
ReplyDeleteAnother cult that brings to mind the groupthink mentality are the people of Jonestown. They were so entrenched into this type of behavior that they moved their temple to Arica to isolate themselves from the rest of society. When they felt that their community was endangered of being violated, the groupthink mentality lead them to think that mass suicide was the only option. So whatever you do, don’t drink the Kool-Aid!
ReplyDeleteHitler and his posse. They believed too much on their own morality and stereotypes to the border that they no longer accepted opinions and beliefs from outside their circle. To prevent such ridicule, find a building high enough to throw them off and... lol j/k No, but really just do not involve yourself with a person that you feel is gonna lead to groupthink. I will just try to talk to the person, maybe smack him/her around to knock some sense into him/her and make sure that it would not lead to that.
ReplyDeleteJim Jose, white night, koolaid, dead politician, the whole thing was like some crazy novel but reality. I don't think much positive comes out of group think.
ReplyDeleteMy first post!
ReplyDeleteGroupthink was actually coined by William Whyte, and he had a slightly different definition of it but whatever. The Nazis are probably the most obvious and extreme example of groupthink: they killed 6 million people because they didn’t like them. I would also say that political parties, the majority of religions, and even families could constitute groupthink at times. Not all are bad, but they do have their own ideas about things and may not listen to other viewpoints. How would you prevent becoming a part of groupthink? Groupthink is the antithesis of individuality so form your own opinions on issues and avoid joining any groups, or even better, move to an island...
I think a lot of hatecrimes deal with groupthink.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other posts on Hitler and the challenger space shuttle.
Another example I think would be the Bush Administration and how they rushed into the war.
Well, come to think of it, this blog is kind of an example of groupthink! So I think we can all agree to disagree!LOl! Take care you guys, and have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteFrank Solis
The crusades...this tiny piece of land means more to us than to you so we are going to send every soldier we can to wipe you off the face of the planet.
ReplyDelete