Rise Of The New Groupthink Summary

     What is groupthink? There is a simple definition for it, but is it truly that simple? The term groupthink refers to the inclination of group members to have the same opinions and beliefs; it frequently leads to mistakes. It often occurs without an individual being aware of it. Conflict is considered to be a harmful element when related to groups, but conflict is good when considering groupthink because it helps to eliminate the existence of a groupthink. The explanation sounds simple enough, but it is more complex than the description given.

As stated by Janice, groupthink refers to when group members, as a group, make a bad decision even though as individuals they know that it is a poor decision (as cited by Spector, 2012, p. 315). Factors that can cause groupthink include group cohesiveness, isolation of the group, pressure for conformity, and strong leadership (Spector, 2012, p. 315). Inside Out represented groupthink when Anger took control while Sadness and Joy were away from headquarters. Anger wanted to give Riley the idea of running away to Minnesota because that is where she collected all of her happy memories. Disgust and Fear were against the idea at first, but due to time pressure, the pressure of conformity, and Angers’ strong leadership, Disgust and Fear gave in to Angers’ plan to get Riley to Minnesota. When the decision was made and Riley ran away, it became obvious how terrible of a decision Disgust, Fear, and Anger made as Riley became

Groupthink can be defined as a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in irrational decision-making. In 1971, twenty-four psychologically stable men took part in a trial known as The Stanford Prison Experiment. The purpose of the experiment was to prove that an individual’s perception of their own power is heavily influenced by social context and societal expectations of their role. The men involved in the experiment were assigned either the role of a prisoner or a guard to represent positions in society, both with power and without. More specifically, the conductors of The Stanford Prison Experiment focused on analyzing the different behavioral

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, explains the marvels of witchcraft and the world of “magic”, which unravels a set of confusing disasters in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. While confronted between a choice of life and death, situations hastily get out of hand, and soon become uncontrollable. These events are based on true happenings that led to the writing of this play, which contains the themes mass hysteria, groupthink, and abuse of power. The vast world of witchcraft may not have seemed too intimidating, but it is proven that it’s more dangerous than one can truly imagine.

Dismissing your own individual opinions to reach group consensus, now that’s negative peer pressure! Peer pressure will always be a problem and can affect anyone. I say that because no matter where you’re from or who you are, peer pressure is lurking about. Anytime you’re pressured to do something and your conscience is telling you not to do it, and you follow through with the task anyway, that is dismissing your opinion just to please other group members. Not wanting to be ostracized by others is the basis of conformity. Peer pressure doesn’t discriminate against race, nationality, or social class. It’s like a plague waiting to spread like wildfire throughout your school, your

“One very important aspect of motivation is the willingness to stop and to look at things that no one else has bothered to look at. This simple process of focusing on things that are normally taken for granted is a powerful source of creativity.” (Edwardo de Bono 2016). Susan Cain wrote the book Quiet which is about introverts as well as extroverts in today’s society. This chapter, chapter three, is about how working in groups instead of by yourself ultimately kills creativity along with everything that creativity brings to the table. Susan uses pathos, logos, ethos, values, and stakeholders to demonstrate her main ideas which are: solitude is essential for creativity which is a key trait in introverts and groupthink damages our society.

Mankind in this book is lost through the shadiness of the power of group thinking, “Their lives weren't messes. They were working toward something. I want to work toward something.” (In Dubious Battle 8) .When the men discover group mentality to work together to achieve something they all want.

Let me introduce you to an overview of a book called “Originals,” written by Adam Grant, professor of Psychology at Wharton University of Pennsylvania. His book focus on how to generate new thoughts and battle mindless conformity. Grant achieved this idea by introducing groupthink, a mental wonder that happens inside a gathering of individuals in which the craving for agreement or similarity in the group brings a silly or broken basic leadership result. Also, by utilizing astounding reviews and stories spreading over business, legislative issues, games, and excitement. Indeed, Grant investigates how to perceive a smart thought, talk up without getting quieted, assemble a coalition of partners, pick the ideal time to act, and oversee dread and uncertainty; how guardians and instructors can sustain innovation in children; and how pioneers can fabricate societies that appreciated contradiction.

In “The Sisterhood of the Night” by Steven Millhauser and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, groupthink is a central theme that authors used to explain their main idea. Groupthink is a phenomenon in psychology occurring to individuals where their desire for conformity within their group results in a deviant outcome. This means that the members consider minimizing their conflict while trying to reach a consensus decision without evaluating the alternatives critically. “The Sisterhood of the Night” and “The Lottery” presents this concept in details with relevant examples trying to depict

As human beings, each person on earth possesses a desire to belong. In order to meet this need, one must find a way to fit in with a group. Yet somehow, once a group has been joined, humans tend to take on the ideas and opinions of the group without analyzing the situation for themselves. Doris Lessing, in her essay, “Group Minds”, proposes the idea that humans spend their whole life going along with the group because they fail to analyze the reasons behind their actions. While Lessing’s idea is valid, no one has yet successfully implemented her plan.

The term groupthink in this report is defined as, the social psychological phenomenon that results in groups during pressure situations. This social psychology theory is broken down into eight signs. Illusion of invulnerability, Collective rationalization, Belief in inherent morality, Stereotyped views of out-groups, Direct pressure on dissenters, Self-censorship, Illusion of unanimity, Self-appointed “mindguards”. According to research conducted by Irving Janis, there are three conditions to groupthink. The first, "high group cohesiveness" which is the direction for a group to be in unity while working towards a goal, or to satisfy the emotional needs of its members. Secondly, the structural faults such as insulation of the group, lack

Groupthink theory often occurs without the group’s realization. Irving Janis formed 8 different symptoms that indicate groupthink. The first of these symptoms is illusions of vulnerability. This occurs when members of the group are overly optimistic and believe that nothing negative will arise from their decision. Janis describes it as taking great risks and acquiring the attitude of “everything is going to be OK, because we are a special group”. Secondly we have belief in inherent morality. This symptom is characterized as the groups thought that they could do no wrong. They believe that they have high morality, that they are right in all situations and they ignore the ethical consequences that could arise because of their decisions. As the third

Susan Cain, an American writer and lecturer and an author of the renowned book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can`t Stop Talking”(“Susan Cain,” 2016). She argues in her book that this modern age devalues and misapprehends the proficiencies that introverts bring to the world. In addition, she believes that the best works that the world has ever seen were made by introverts. In other words, she adds on that groups or cooperates inventions are not ads on the invention. Examples of introverts that have shocked the world with their inventions are Leonardo da Vinci i.e. the world’s best artist, Steve Jobs i.e. the founder of Apple and much more.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, written by Susan Cain, creates a powerful and thoughtful argument against the Extroverted Ideal. Quiet Calls introverts to behave in a way that is most comfortable to them, instead of reforming themselves to fit the Extrovert Ideal, for not only the improvement of their own lives, but for the improvement of their businesses and their country. This book is revolutionary in it’s soft strength, and I find myself agreeing with most of her writing; particularly her theories on the Extrovert Ideal, though my thoughts differ slightly regarding if being completely alone is really best for creativity.

The elite is the selected few but does not reflex the needs of the masses