What are some historical examples of groupthink?
Examples of groupthink can be found in historic events such as the U.S. Invasion of Iraq, Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster and the Enron-Arthur Anderson scandal. (Thompson, 2008) In each of these examples, leadership style played a key role in enhancing groupthink conditions.
Who created the term groupthink?
The theory of groupthink was first developed by the social psychologist Irving Janis in his classic 1972 study, Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions and Fiascoes, which focused on the psychological mechanism behind foreign policy decisions such as the Pearl Harbor bombing, the …
How did Irving Janis come up with groupthink?
Janis set the foundation for the study of groupthink starting with his research in the American Soldier Project where he studied the effect of extreme stress on group cohesiveness. After this study he remained interested in the ways in which people make decisions under external threats.
What is groupthink caused by?
There are several main causes of groupthink. These include group cohesiveness, overall group isolation, group leadership, and decision-making stress. Another cause of groupthink is isolation. Often in group situations, it is important that the decisions being made or the actions being carried remain secret.
What is a common example of groupthink?
Two well-known examples of Groupthink in action are the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Engineers of the space shuttle knew about some faulty parts months before takeoff, but they did not want negative press so they pushed ahead with the launch anyway.
What is the best example of groupthink?
Real World Examples of Groupthink
- The Bay of Pigs invasion. An invasion was planned by the Eisenhower administration, but accepted by the Kennedy administration without question when they took over.
- The bombing of Pearl Harbor.
- The collapse of Swissair.
- The mass resignation of the Major League Umpires Association.
Why is the Bay of Pigs an example of groupthink?
Irving Janis felt that the Bay of Pigs Invasion was an example of group think because Kennedy’s top the advisers weren’t willing to speak against the bad decisions that were made.
What is the concept of groupthink?
Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when the desire for group consensus overrides people’s common sense desire to present alternatives, critique a position, or express an unpopular opinion. Here, the desire for group cohesion effectively drives out good decision-making and problem solving.
What is an example of groupthink from your own life or experience?
Some examples of groupthink include the following: A small country that is isolated from others and that is made up of people who want to believe that the country is a major world superpower. The group may come to hate and distrust people who disagree with them and may come to overestimate their power and influence.
Who was the first person to use the word groupthink?
The term groupthink in its modern sense was coined by Yale psychologist Irving Janis in 1971, writing in the pages of Psychology Today. Janis proposed the word as a label to diagnose a previously unknown malady he saw as interfering with people’s ability to make good decisions in a group setting.
How did groupthink change the way we think?
He called his radical new theory “groupthink,” and it changed the way we think about decision making. The idea remains so influential, says Yale political scientist Donald Green, that “the term ‘groupthink’ must come up once a day in common conversation.”
What does it mean to be a groupthinker?
Full Article Groupthink, mode of thinking in which individual members of small cohesivegroups tend to accept a viewpoint or conclusion that represents a perceived group consensus, whether or not the group members believe it to be valid, correct, or optimal. Groupthink reduces the efficiencyof collectiveproblem solvingwithin such groups.
What are the signs and symptoms of groupthink?
Groupthink. The eight symptoms of groupthink include an illusion of invulnerability or of the inability to be wrong, the collective rationalization of the group’s decisions, an unquestioned belief in the morality of the group and its choices, stereotyping of the relevant opponents or out-group members, and the presence…