Janis’ concept of Groupthink Janis’ (1972) concept of Groupthink sets out symptoms and characteristics that can occur within cohesive groups. This behaviour can have significant negative influences on the decision making process within the group. Janis further classifies six main symptoms which can be found in groups suffering from Groupthink. The story of ‘The Bay of Pigs’‚ and the case study of the pharmaceutical industry‚ will help us to illustrate differences between the characteristics
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Obedience Some of the darkest times in history have resulted from passive obedience‚ not from large acts of violence. Howard Zinn‚ a social activist‚ once stated “Historically‚ the most terrible things – war‚ genocide‚ and slavery – have resulted not from disobedience‚ but from obedience.” In many instances‚ leaders or dictators have taken over a specific group of people and caused them to obey their commands by frightening them with authority. Obedience appears as the main cause of war‚ genocide
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some interesting points‚ but in several of those points overlooked a crucial aspect. What was overlooked was that in several of the groups talked about the leader of the group had unquestionable power. The question I would pose is how groups would overcome the groupthink mentality when they have to please appease the ideas of a single individual. In the reading the examples that were used involved the President of the United States and his cabinet members or advisors. In these situations the group
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terrible decision? You may have been part of a groupthink event. Groupthink is a term coined by Psychologist Irving Janis. He determined cohesive groups try to maintain unanimity rather than utilize all data to make a good decision (Whyte‚ 2000). Some historic examples of groupthink are the attack on Pearl Harbor‚ Iranian hostage rescue attempt‚ and the Holocaust. The attack on Pearl Harbor may have been thwarted‚ or damage minimized‚ if groupthink was not present. Ambassador Grew sent a warning
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Society’s Tendency to Pass on Responsibility The Obedience to Authority Experiment of Stanley Milgram is one of the most studied experiments in American history due to its wide-ranging social implications. The study gained popular attention because it aimed to provide some insight as to why the Holocaust had escalated in such a way. The study was designed around testing the degree of inflicted pain strangers would give to others‚ under orders by an experimenter. Not only did the study defy what
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concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action”1. The group’s original purpose of creation becomes more and more ineffective as long as groupthink festers without treatment. What is groupthink exactly? According to psychologists is “deterioration in mental efficiency‚ reality testing and moral judgments as a result of group pressures”1. In simpler terms it is the fear of ruining group cohesion and uniformity by
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Obedience Ashley M. Martinez PSY/285 Stacie Flynn One of the most prominent studies of obedience in the study of psychology was performed by Stanley Milgram. The intent of this study was to research how far individuals would go in obeying a command while it involved hurting someone. Milgram’s curiosity to see how normal individuals could be influenced by enormity seems to be an influence for this study. My initial reaction to Milgram’s study video
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Obedience In this essay I am going to write on how obedience can affect individuals on how they would normally behave and integrate in society. The meaning of Obedience is a form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from another individual‚ who is usually an authority figure. It is assumed that without such an order the person would not have acted in this way. (McLeod‚ 2007) Migram (1963) conducted a study on how obedient a person would be to an authority
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Q 2.What is groupthink. Explain Groupthink occurs when the pressure to conform within a group interferes with that group’s analysis of a problem and causes poor group decision making. Individual creativity‚ uniqueness‚ and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness‚ as are the advantages that can sometimes be obtained by making a decision as a group—bringing different sources of ideas‚ knowledge‚ and experience together to solve a problem. Psychologist Irving Janis defines
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Superficially the ideas promoted through groupthink often result in decisions appearing well founded and heavily supported‚ however the outcomes of such decisions are most frequently detrimental. Factors of cognitive dissonance are quite often evident in members of groupthink decisions‚ with individuals finding in reflection that they generally possessed ideas starkly contrasting the concepts which they just publically supported. Such incongruity in beliefs and decisions according to Hackman and
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