Carol Tavris, the author of “In Groups We Shrink”, received her PhD from the University of Michigan in social psychology and has since then published many articles and books; Tavris’ works include articles for Vogue, G.Q., and Harper’s, as well as a handful of novels including The Mismeasure of Women. Using her knowledge of human emotions and sexuality, Tavris also taught in the psychology department at UCLA as well as the New School for Social Research. Printed in the Los Angeles Times in the early 1990’s the article “In Groups We Shrink” leads one to predict that the piece will explain in-depth about how group socialization differs from one-on-one contact and how each person’s self-assurance changes. The author stayed true to her title, the article is very much so about how when individuals become part of a group they often lose their self-reliance and wait for someone else to make the first move. In the article, the author mentions two particular names: Kitty Genovese and Rodney King. These two identities occur to make the basis of the articles argument, and with further details about each person’s specific event, the author is able to form a solid factual case. I agree that when a group is collected there is no longer an individuality to each member, instead the crowd takes on a new persona as a whole which in most events becomes coined as bystanders.
