Group+Think

=** GROUPTHINK: ** =

**-** Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis (1972), occurs 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.
 * What is Groupthink? **


 * There are eight examples of groupthink that Janis coined: **
 * 1) Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
 * 2) Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.
 * 3) Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions.
 * 4) Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views of “enemy” make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.
 * 5) Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under pressure not to express arguments against any of the group’s views.
 * 6) Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed.
 * 7) Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and judgments are assumed to be unanimous.
 * 8) Self-appointed ‘mindguards’ – Members protect the group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group’s cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions.


 * Some Real Life Examples: **


 * The United States Bay of Pigs Invasion was one of the primary political case studies that Janis used in explaining the theory of groupthink. The invasion plan was initiated by the Eisenhower administration, but when the Kennedy White House took over, it "uncritically accepted" the CIA’s plan. When some people, such as Arthur M. Shlesinger Jr. and SenatorJ. Willian Fulbright attempted to present their objections to the plan, the Kennedy team as a whole ignored these objections and kept believing in the morality of their plan. Eventually Schlesinger minimized his own doubts, that is, he performed self-censorship. The Kennedy team stereotyped Castro and the Cubans by failing to question the CIA about its many assumptions, including the ineffectiveness of Castro's air force, the weakness of Castro's army, and the inability of Castro to quell internal uprisings. Janis claimed the fiasco that ensued could have been prevented if the Kennedy administration had followed the methods to preventing groupthink that it followed later during the Cuban Missile Crisis.


 * The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was a prime example of groupthink. A number of factors such as shared illusions and rationalizations contributed to the lack of precaution taken by Naval officers based in Hawaii. The United States had intercepted Japanese messages and they discovered that Japan was arming itself for an offensive attack. Washington took action by warning officers stationed at Pearl Harbor, but their warning was not taken seriously. They assumed that Japan was taking measures in the event that their embassies and consulates in enemy territories were usurped. The Navy and Army in Pearl Harbor also shared rationalizations about why an attack was unlikely. Some of them included:

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - "The Japanese would never dare attempt a full-scale surprise assault against Hawaii because they would realize that it would precipitate an all-out war, which the United States <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> would surely win."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - "The Pacific Fleet concentrated at Pearl Harbor was a major deterrent against air or naval attack."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - "Even if the Japanese were foolhardy to send their carriers to attack us [the United States], we could certainly detect and destroy them in plenty of time."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - “No warships anchored in the shallow water of Pearl Harbor could ever be sunk by torpedo bombs launched from enemy aircraft."

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1298f7; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> - In addition, officers succumbed to social pressures and did not want to face social scrutiny by objecting to the common belief that Japan would not attack Pearl Harbor.

**The Following video explores the examples of groupthink and applies them to the real life example of the Challenger space shuttle accident:**

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**Name 3 ways in which this image applies to groupthink:**

It is a Saturday night and Annie's parents have gone away for the weekend. Annie and all her friends have nothing to do and they are all super bored. Annie's friend Nikki suggests that Annie has a house party. At first Annie is reluctant because she knows her parents will be really angry if she has a party but Nikki and all the other girls are really excited about the idea so Annie agrees so no one will get mad at her. Nikki decides that she will come up with the guest list, she invites around 40 people, including Danielle and her friends. Annie's other friend Laura knows that Danielle and her friends are troublemakers and wherever they go the cops usually end up, but Danielle doesn't say anything because she wants everyone to have fun tonight. Nikki tells another one of the girls, Mimi, that she is in charge of getting alcohol. Mimi knows that alcohol means that everything will get out of control really fast but she goes along with the plan so that Nikki doesn't get mad at her. The party starts and everyone begins to drink. Danielle and her friends show up and 15 minutes later so do the cops. Annie, Nikki, Laura, and, Mimi get cited and have to perform 10 hours of community service. **How did this situation involve groupthink?**
 * Examples in NHS culture:**

<http://wellebeing.blogspot.com/2010/04/groupthink.html>. || "What Is Groupthink?" //Psychologists for Social Responsibility//. http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/groupthink%20overview.htm, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2012. <http://www.psysr.org/about/pubs_resources/ groupthink%20overview.htm>.
 * BILIOGRAPHY:**
 * || "Groupthink." Cartoon. //Midas Welle- Wellebeing//. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2012.