Tavris' In Groups We Shrink
The main position in, In Groups We Shrink, is so true when applied to situations of aggregation of a large number of people. As stated in, In Groups
We Shrink, in large groups we are reluctant to deviate from the norm, however, if alone we often act without even hesitating. We can apply this to everyday situations as with, The Lottery. Why are people so hesitant to act out when in large groups? There may be a broad spectrum of reasons from the mentality of
"diffusion of responsibility" to the fear of ridicule. It seems as if within a group we act as single entity instead of a group of individuals. "In groups we shrink" may sound paradoxical but it is evident to be true. In a group we tend to
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For example, I've been in many classes where the students were afraid to speak out. But eventually there is a brave soul who ventures to raise their hand to answer a question. And this starts the ball rolling. Eventually each individual starts to get involved with the class. People often have the mentality that someone else will take the responsibility. Often times this seems to be the case. In, In Groups We Shrink, Tavris gives us the example of the students seated in a room and then smoke was released into the room. "Students who were on their own usually hesitated a minute, got up, checked the vents and then went out to report what certainly seemed like a fire. But the students who were sitting in groups of three did not move. They sat there for six minutes, with smoke so thick they could barely see, rubbing their eyes and coughing." "Diffusion of responsibility" can also be witnessed in The Lottery.
Nobody wanted to go against the grain. Until the lottery directly affected them, they did not feel like they had to put an end to it. Although the lottery may have been morally wrong, they all went along with it because nobody felt the obligation to break the chain. Although we aren't often faced with situations that require us to make the decision of acting against the group, most of us may claim that if faced with that situation we would be able to be individuals and do the morally correct. With
necessary anymore. The people have a strange reaction to the day of the lottery. No one seems
Sometimes people are afraid to question the social contract. A social contract is a kind of authority that should be believable. “The Lottery” was a tradition which had lasted for more than seventy years. This made the lottery a community habit. The village had already gotten used to it and obeyed it. They thought it was right, maybe because the village never went through disaster, so they insisted that peace was brought by satisfied gods. They never questioned this. A social contract is also an order that keep society balanced. A social contract cannot be denied easily, or chaos will happen. In the story “The Lottery”, people in the village believed that the lottery was an event used to bring rebirth and renewal to the village. According to “‘The Lottery’: Symbolic Tour de Force”: “ Those chosen for sacrifice were not victims but saviors who propitiate the gods” (Nebeker 104). When Mrs. Adams said some places have quit lotteries, Old Man Warner only insisted quitting can only bring them trouble, because he believed “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon” (Jackson 4). "Nothing but trouble in that" (Jackson 4), people in the village were afraid of making the gods angry by quitting lotteries.
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.
With fires the procedure is to gather all the children and staff in the set meeting place in the class and then in an orderly manner to meet at the designated meeting place set by the setting which is normally outside and away from the building. A register should also be taken too to account for all the children in the class.
Learning how to work effectively in a group situation is key to success in many professions as well as in social situations. Groups vary from each other based on the individuals that make up each group, all of us belong to various groups at one time or another. The roles that we fulfill vary from group to
This is modeled by the fact that people being in groups, causes them to act and think differently than they would have if they had been alone. In her essay, Tavris uses many examples of this: In the case of Kitty Genovese or the late Rodney King who was beat to death by police officers. People have a tendency to act differently in groups, others suffer due to people not wanting to “rock the boat” or they do not want to “embarrass themselves or others if they are wrong” (19). Tavris offers a solution to the way people act in groups, “By understanding the impulse to diffuse responsibility, perhaps as individuals we will be more likely to act. By understanding the social pressures that reward group-think, loyalty and obedience, we can foster those that reward whistle blowing and moral courage. And, as a society, we can reinforce the belief that they also sing who stand and watch” (19). If civilization can solve the dilemma of people acting differently when they are in groups with others, the world could be a much improved place.
When in large groups people feel less apparent and adopt the group mindset, as if they are invisible in comparison to the large amount of people around them partaking in the same or similar acts. There is less of a blame and guilt factor present. People may also feel as if it is okay that they do it, because their peers are making similar decisions. A good example of deindividuation is the Aggiville riots, where
When people are part of a group, they often start to deviate from their personalities, and tend to focus on the opinions and actions of the group. Groups can generate a sense of engaging energy, which can lead to behaviors that a person would not typically engage in if they were alone. People seem to believe that certain behaviors are acceptable when they are in groups that would otherwise not be acceptable if they were alone. Many people believe they cannot be held responsible for their actions when they are with a group because they see the
In “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson writes about the game lottery, which makes the story very ironic. Unlike all of the other Lottery games, in this traditional version no one wants to be chosen, because that brings them the end of their life. Jackson explains how keeping up with some traditions that are part of people’s life, may not be the best choice to embrace a particular culture. Jackson uses the Lottery as an example to express her idea about the ethical issues such as; violent murder, harming people, forcefully following a tradition, and lying. All of these ethical issues are created by blindly following tradition in “The Lottery.”
Stephen King was quoted as saying, “The scariest moment is always just before you start.” A plane crash is bad enough; throw into the mix that the plane crash landed in a vast desert far away from anyone and anything. The team showed great cohesiveness in its ability to get through the groupthink and group shift behaviors. In this paper, groupthink and group shift behaviors will be discussed. This paper will cover points to show how through both behaviors the group will remain cohesive and put aside any individual needs and focus more on the needs of the group. Even though the situation will be tough, the team will plan, find harmony and put their brains together to find ways to survive.
There were two men who worked together that owned the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory: Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. After the fire, that killed so many worker, it was brought to the public's attention that there were many safety hazards in that now famous building, and that there were many more buildings just like the Asch building. Some of these hazards were narrow hallways and stairwells. The doors opened into the room, which caused problems during the fire as girls pushed so close together and were pressing so hard against these doors, that it took minutes (that they didn’t have to lose) to open them. The fire hose wasn’t even connected to a water source!
He was planning to try a different one when suddenly he smelled a pungent and disgusting odor. James reticently ran over to the area to see what the situation was when he saw a grayish tint of smoke coming from a microwave in the teacher’s lounge. James panicked and grabbed the fire extinguisher to quench the flames but to no avail. He sprinted to the fire alarm, and he pulled down the lever causing the siren to go off. James then ran back to his class to alert everyone about the fire, but as he arrived shouting, “Fire! Fire!”, everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief. “Do you honestly believe we are going to fall for that trick again?” Mr. Wood asked. “Well … this time is serious!” James stuttered. “I will deal with you later, and do me a favor by keeping yourself in the hall.” Mr. Wood replied. James knew he had pulled his pranks, but he didn't understand what he was going to do to make them believe him. James knew he wouldn't be able to convince them, so he darted down to the office to see if he could convince them. They to yelled at him stating what a mischievous child he was and began calling his mother. Before anyone realized about the fire, it had already spread into the hallway. Everyone evacuated safely, but to James disbelief half of the school was gone. He looked at all his classmate and apologized for being dishonest in the past. He understood why they didn't believe a liar, but he just wished he wasn't a liar in the first
Shows courage and confidence to speak up skillfully, challenging others even when confronted with resistance or unfamiliar circumstances.
Tuckman proposes that groups develop via five stages; forming, storming, norming, performing and finally adjourning (Archee, Gurney, & Mohan, 2013a). The first stage, known as forming, involves clarifying the task and purpose of the group, and identifying boundaries of both the task and interpersonal behaviour (Archee et al., 2013a). For the presentation task we were randomly allocated into groups. This worried me greatly as I have struggled in the past with group members who do not contribute equally or see the task as important as other group members. To avoid this problem, the group collectively determined and agreed upon a number of ground rules. For example, we decided that all group members were expected to contribute equally to the presentation, all group members were expected to attend and contribute at all group meetings, and all group members would adhere to agreed upon deadlines. Having failed to do this in previous group assignments, this clarification stage
2014 ). Large groups are said to be better for an Individual than a small ones, and in large groups secrets are important since they consists of so many members. Secrets in life adds excitement and bonding among people. Being away from your own group allows one to share material culture with those of other groups. I see the way we view things in my country, there were complaints when Brazilian dancers joined in our carnival because of the way they dress. My country is landlocked, there are no beaches swim wear is only for the rich who have swimming pools and those who can afford to travel. So they complained that the Brazilian dancers were underdressed. Those from small towns and rural areas are shocked by the way we dress. Most of the rural folk die without even setting their feet in