Tuesday, October 2, 2012

For Your Cogitation


Al,

 

As you probably know Groupthink is a term coined by a social psychologist Irving Janis.  


 

Eight symptoms of groupthink:

 

  1. Illusion of invulnerability –Creates excessive optimism that encourages taking extreme risks.
  2. Collective rationalization – Members discount warnings and do not reconsider their assumptions.
  3. Belief in inherent morality – Members believe in the rightness of their cause and therefore ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions.
  4. Stereotyped views of out-groups – Negative views of "enemy" make effective responses to conflict seem unnecessary.
  5. Direct pressure on dissenters – Members are under pressure not to express arguments against any of the group's views.
  6. Self-censorship – Doubts and deviations from the perceived group consensus are not expressed.
  7. Illusion of unanimity – The majority view and judgments are assumed to be unanimous.
  8. Self-appointed 'mindguards' – Members protect the group and the leader from information that is problematic or contradictory to the group's cohesiveness, view, and/or decisions.

 


Groupthink can lead to the demise of governments, corporations, and groups of all sort.




Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN



Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/


 

 
"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country."
 
 —Marion Barry, former mayor of Washington, D.C.


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