Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972. It refers to the phenomenon where group pressures lead to faulty decisions, deteriorating “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment.”
Groups influenced by groupthink often ignore alternatives and make irrational decisions that dehumanize other groups. Groupthink is particularly prevalent when group members share similar backgrounds, the group is insulated from external opinions, and there are no clear decision-making procedures.
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Definition of Groupthink
Groupthink is when a group of people makes poor decisions because they want everyone to agree. They avoid disagreements, ignore better options, and focus on unity instead of thinking critically. This can lead to bad or irrational choices. Signs of groupthink include feeling invincible, dismissing warnings, and pressuring members to conform.
Famous examples are the Bay of Pigs invasion and the escalation of the Vietnam War. To prevent groupthink, encourage open discussions, seek outside opinions, and create an environment where different viewpoints are valued. This helps the group make better and more balanced decisions.
Symptoms of Groupthink
Janis identified eight key symptoms of groupthink, which serve as warning signs of its presence:
- Illusion of Invulnerability: This symptom creates excessive optimism, encouraging the group to take extreme risks, believing they are invulnerable.
- Collective Rationalization: Group members dismiss warnings and fail to reconsider their assumptions, rationalizing away any contrary evidence.
- Belief in Inherent Morality: Members believe in the rightness of their cause, ignoring the ethical or moral implications of their decisions.
- Stereotyped Views of Out-Groups: Negative views of “enemy” groups lead to underestimating them and ignoring the need for effective responses to conflicts.
- Direct Pressure on Dissenters: Members face pressure to conform and not express any arguments against the group’s views.
- Self-Censorship: Doubts and deviations from the group consensus are not expressed, as members withhold their dissenting opinions.
- Illusion of Unanimity: The majority view is assumed to be unanimous, creating a false sense of agreement.
- Self-Appointed ‘Mindguards’: Certain members protect the group from information that contradicts the group’s cohesiveness, views, or decisions.
When these symptoms are present, the likelihood of groupthink increases, especially when the group is highly cohesive and under significant pressure to make decisions quickly. The need for unanimity can overshadow the motivation to consider all available alternatives, leading to careless and irrational decision-making.
Causes of Groupthink
Groupthink tends to occur in groups with certain characteristics:
- Homogeneity: When group members share similar backgrounds, they are less likely to challenge each other’s ideas.
- Isolation from Outside Opinions: Groups that do not seek or consider outside opinions are more prone to groupthink.
- Lack of Clear Decision-Making Rules: When there are no established procedures for decision-making, groups can fall into groupthink.
Examples of Groupthink
Groupthink has been implicated in several historical and contemporary decision-making fiascos:
- Pearl Harbor: The U.S. failed to anticipate the Japanese attack due to overconfidence and dismissal of warnings.
- Bay of Pigs Invasion: The U.S. underestimated Cuban forces and overestimated the likelihood of success.
- Vietnam War Escalation: The U.S. continued to escalate the conflict despite clear indications of its futility.
- Iran Hostage Rescue Mission: The mission failed due to poor planning and overestimation of success.
- Iraq War: The Bush administration pursued an invasion based on the flawed assumption that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction, ignoring dissenting opinions and failing to build a broad-based coalition.
Groupthink and the Media
The role of the media in perpetuating groupthink, particularly during the Iraq War, highlights the impact of information control on public perception.
The U.S. television news media often provided entertainment rather than substantive information, promoting the Bush administration’s justification for the war while ignoring dissenting voices. This contributed to a national consensus that supported the invasion, despite global opposition.
Consequences of Groupthink
Groupthink leads to several negative outcomes, including:
- Incomplete Survey of Alternatives: The group fails to consider all possible options.
- Incomplete Survey of Objectives: The group does not fully explore its goals.
- Failure to Examine Risks: The group overlooks potential dangers of the preferred choice.
- Failure to Reappraise Rejected Alternatives: The group does not revisit initially discarded options.
- Poor Information Search: The group does not thoroughly gather relevant information.
- Selective Bias in Processing Information: The group processes information in a biased manner, favoring their preconceived notions.
- Failure to Develop Contingency Plans: The group does not prepare for potential failures.
- Low Probability of Successful Outcome: Decisions made under groupthink are unlikely to succeed.
Preventing Groupthink
Several measures can help prevent groupthink:
- Encourage Critical Evaluation: Leaders should assign the role of critical evaluator to each member, fostering an environment where criticism is accepted and valued.
- Impartial Leadership: Leaders should avoid stating their preferences and expectations at the outset, allowing for unbiased discussion.
- Seek Outside Opinions: Bringing in external experts to challenge group views can provide new perspectives and reduce conformity pressure.
- Use Subgroups: Splitting the group into smaller teams to discuss proposals can lead to more diverse viewpoints.
- Devil’s Advocate: Assigning one or more members the role of devil’s advocate to question assumptions and plans can prevent consensus from becoming too uniform.
- Review Contingency Plans: Setting aside time to review warning signals and construct alternative scenarios can help prepare for potential issues.
- Second-Chance Meetings: Reconsidering decisions in follow-up meetings before finalizing them can provide an opportunity to address any overlooked concerns.
Final Words
Groupthink is a powerful force that can lead to disastrous decision-making. Recognizing the symptoms and implementing preventive measures can help groups make more rational, ethical, and effective decisions.
By fostering a culture of critical evaluation, encouraging diverse opinions, and maintaining open communication, groups can avoid the pitfalls of groupthink and achieve more successful outcomes.
