What Is The Deeper Meaning Of The Emperor's New Cloth

     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.

Mob mentality and herd behavior have a negative behavior on people because of their individuality and rational thinking. People are influenced by others behaviors in a group. They can have negative and positive acts on people having individual thinking and it changes people's rational thinking. In the teleplay “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” written by Rod Serling, the article “When Good people Do Bad Things” written by Ann Trafton, and the article “Why Do People Follow The Crowd” reported by ABC news, when someone does not want to share their own idea they do not feel like sharing as a groups. People can also act differently in a group because they do not want to be embarrassed with others.

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

McGovern’s evaluation of The Emperor’s New Clothes begins with a brief history, in which she describes how the story originated in Spain in the fourteenth century and was later adapted by Hans Christian Andersen. She states that “it is still cited as an example of the foolish behavior of those in authority.” After telling of the child who points out that the emperor in fact does not have anything on, McGovern declares “It is only the child who has not yet become corrupted by the world who will tell what he or she sees.” Another moral, McGovern says, lies in the fact that although the emperor knows he is not wearing any clothes, his pride prevents him from admitting it.

Brainwashing is to make (someone) adopt radically different beliefs by using systematic and often forcible pressure. People use brainwashing everywhere, everyday. It is used by the government, politicians, News Sites, Commercials/Ads, Churches, Cults, etc. A person who is brainwashed usually knows who their enemy is, a person under mind control has no idea they are being controlled. There are many different techniques and strategies used on a brainwashed victim. In advertising for instance, they use repetition, repeating a phrase, word, sound, or idea to a potential customer. Brainwashing is never morally acceptable, it is making someone do something unwillfully.

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.

According to Bruce Barlett, “Many conservatives live in a bubble where they watch only Fox News on television, they listen only to conservative talk radio — Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, many of the same people. When they go onto the Internet, they look at conservative websites like National Review, Newsmax, World Net Daily. And so, they are completely in a universe in which they are hearing the same exact ideas, the same arguments, the same limited amount of data repeated over and over and over again. And that’s brainwashing.” Who is brainwashing whom?

Brainwashing refers to the techniques systematically used to alter a person’s beliefs by using some sort of pressure on the human brain. This technique can be shown in the period right before the peak of the Cold War in the 1950s when the threat of Communism was becoming ever so real. By the thousands, American citizens gained an allegiance to Marxist ideologies and anti-capitalist doctrines. This can be shown in Communist government’s use of censorship of material to “brainwash” its people, especially subjects pertaining to capitalism.

The ideas of the many do not always correspond to the beliefs of the individual. One can always refer to the old saying, “If your friend jumped off of a cliff, would you jump too?” This thought process is known as groupthink which is discussed on the website, Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Irving Janis broke groupthink up into eight different parts. Three of these are, belief in inherent morality, stereotyped views of out-groups, and direct pressure on dissenters. The ideas of groupthink are present in the story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, a small town in which every year a person from the town is chosen to be stoned so that the survivors can have a

The way the fascist and totalitarian regimes of the past used mass propaganda techniques to “brainwash” their people was

Peasants wore undyed wool in shades of brown and gray. Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, wore a fabric of gold thread. Gold cloth was a symbol of wealth and power. There were also many different types of clothing that were popular. There were tunics, a long rectangle of wool with a hole in the center for the head and stitching at the sides.

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

There are many individuals who view brainwashing as a disease that spreads like wildfire. But what exactly is brainwashing and how does it work? According to Merriam- Webster Dictionary, brainwashing is defined as a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas. According to journalist Julia Layton, from How Stuff Works, “In the brainwashing process, the agent systematically breaks down the target's identity to the point that it doesn't work anymore. The agent then replaces it with another set of behaviors, attitudes and beliefs that work in the target's current environment.” But it’s not like brainwashing is a brand new invention that

In “The Emperor's New Clothes” was written to mock how people react to things. When one thing turns popular most people agree and follow it until someone realizes how it's really weird then everyone goes at it. He mocks it in the story where he shows how the people in the crowd are applauding

Clothing in ancient Rome was so important to the Romans that they specially trained slaves to assist them in putting on their clothes (Roman Dress 3). Not only was it time-consuming and difficult to put on their style of clothing, but the clothes were also often heavy and uncomfortable (McManus 3). In spite of the clothing being troublesome, it was incredibly useful; with one glance, you could see every Roman’s wealth, rank, and personality. Roman clothing was important because it helped others differentiate between the classes as well as showcase people’s personal style.