Groupthink

Groupthink Author’s Name Institute Name Groupthink In 1972, social psychologist Irvin L. Janis coined the term groupthink as “a psychological drive for consensus at any cost that suppresses dissent and appraisal of alternatives in cohesive decision making groups.” Janis made a significant effort in explaining why certain groups make certain decisions which in retrospect are obviously wrong. In certain situations, it is hard to visualize why people support certain group decisions even though…

The idea of the word groupthink is defined as “the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility” (Oxford Dictionary). When making decisions using groupthink individual responsibility is discouraged, because of the fact that your own ideas might not come into play or the group you are making a decision with might not like it or think it would help the situation. One might also say it discourages individual responsibility,…

Image that you are at the park wait to meet up with a friend. When someone sneaks up behind you and tickles your ribs. You instantly swing your elbow back as hard as you can, hitting that someone in the stomach. Once you realize that you have knocked the wind out of your friend, you feel bad and I’m sure your friend is pretty upset. This has happened to everyone. Human nature still dominate against the nurture aspects of a learned civilization. I myself have experienced instinctual behavior.…

Introduction. Concepts and studies concerning groupthink are important to know, analyze and meditate at this level. Most of us are part of a group, it can be the family, the place we work at, any kind of association, church, neighborhood, schoolhouse, university, or a social club. As part of that group, whether we are an active o passive member of it, a leader or a follower; the time will come when we have to make a decision for the sake of the group we belong to. Regardless of the matter the…

behavior and dynamics. Groupthink is one risky group dynamic that can occur. There are usually eight symptoms of groupthink; but to sum up the symptoms are an illusion of invulnerability, collective rationalization of their assumptions, belief in the rightness of their cause, stereotyped views of other groups, direct pressure on the members, a sense of unanimity and members who are involved to protect the cohesiveness of the group. Now when looking at the symptoms of groupthink, it may sound…

would give the wrong answer, and a small percentage would give the correct answer. He found that when people are in groups they tend to agree with the leader (Henslin). 10. Groupthink is a thought by a group that is the correct answer and any stray is disloyalty. There can be consequences to disagreeing with the groupthink (Henslin). Chapter 7 1. The rationalization of society is “a widespread acceptance of rationality and social organizations that are built largely around this idea.” The…

recognizing their strengths and weaknesses. On the other hand, groups can work out for certain activities where individuals can’t achieve on their own. The conditions for groupthink are important to analyze in order to comprehend the reasons behind people engaging in it. Janis has documented eight so called symptoms of groupthink while studying this decision process: Illusion of invulnerability, collective rationalization, belief in inherent morality, stereotypes, direct pressure,…

attributed to the phenomenon of groupthink. First identified by Irving Janis, groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment” (1972, p. 9). Specific conditions such as a highly cohesive group, leader preference for a certain decision, and insulation of the group from qualified outside opinions are precursors to factors known as symptoms of groupthink. These symptoms include…

According to Janis, this theory is broken up into three antecedents that will lead group members to result in Groupthink. The first is structural flaws, which describes how the group is organized. The potential flaws in the groups’ structure include group insulation, biased leadership, having a lack of procedural norms, and high homogeneity. The second is high cohesion…

individuals have a common interest, view, goal, or purpose. While these similarities draw them together, overtime Groupthink can take over and potentially cause issues in the group, and beyond. Groupthink can be described as having a one-track mindset in accordance with the group, simply being a follower. With fear of being ostracized by individual thoughts that differ from the group, Groupthink causes members to remain silent and follow the majority opinion, even if it is wrong or harmful. …