Groupthink is a phenomenon where group cohesion and a desire for quick decisions cloud judgment, leading to less-than-ideal decisions. Social psychologists study warning signs and ways to avoid it. Irving Janis studied groupthink in foreign policy decisions, finding illusions of unanimity, morality, invulnerability, self-censorship, stereotyping, and collective rationalization. To avoid groupthink, groups should encourage dissenting opinions, divide into smaller committees, and seek outside opinions.
Groupthink is an interesting phenomenon that can occur when a group of people get together to make a decision. In essence, desires for group cohesion and a quick decision cloud the judgment of people in the group, leading to a less-than-ideal decision. Social psychologists have studied groupthink extensively in an attempt to understand the warning signs of this phenomenon and to develop methods for avoiding groupthink.
Irving Janis was one of the first social psychologists to delve into groupthink, publishing a study on groupthink in the context of foreign policy decisions in 1972. He argued that groupthink was probably responsible for some of the more imprudent decisions made by the United States government, backing up its claim with studies of group dynamics. Many groupthink studies focus on foreign policy, as groups making these types of decisions tend to be classically pressured and highly cohesive, creating an ideal situation for groupthink.
Several things characterize groupthink. Group members tend to experience illusions of unanimity, morality, and invulnerability within the group, meaning they think everyone is in agreement, are under the impression that their decisions are morally based, and think that decisions made within the group are always sound. Groupthink is also accompanied by self-censorship, in which group members stifle their opinions because they are afraid of controversy. The group often engages in heavy stereotyping of other groups and the situation they are dealing with, and there is often immense pressure to conform within the group.
One of the hallmarks of groupthink is collective rationalization, in which group members rationalize thoughts or decisions in imperfect ways. This rationalization is often supported by so-called “mental guards”, which prevent the entry of contradictory information into the group discussion. As group members work with incomplete information, high pressure, and a desire to comply, they come up with an idea that may not be balanced and well considered, such as a decision to invade another country based on flimsy evidence.
There are several ways to avoid groupthink. Most importantly, the group must start with no clear expectations and desires, and dissenting opinions must be encouraged, to the point of asking individual group members to argue against the ideas as they are presented. Many organizations also divide groups into smaller committees that feed back to the main group with their ideas, in hopes of spurring more discussion and creative ideas. In a situation where decisions can be discussed with people outside the group, people are encouraged to talk to people who are not part of the group, to see if their ideas will hold up in the outside world.
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