More than thirtyfive years ago, irving janis published his now wellknown book victims of groupthink. The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on conformity and groupthink in online communities. A brief history of groupthink features yale alumni. Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations hassan,golkar department of management, shahidbahonar university, kerman, iran abstract groupthink is a widely utilized theory in social psychology, organizational theory, group decisionmaking sciences, and management fields. Groupthink behavior is always a risk in online groups and group decision support systems gdss, especially when not all. Janis victims of groupthink paul t hart1 introduction victims of groupthink.
Houghton mifflin company, 1972 causes of groupthink. Groupthink definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Moderating the threat to reasonable lawsuits amy kjose anderson october 5, 2015 social psychologists have been studying the effects of groupthink for decades. Groupthink describes a decision making process, where the group members go along with what they believe is the consensus. This is one of the key characteristics of groupthink. Ppt groupthink powerpoint presentation free to view. Group discussion tends to lead to more extreme opinions. Groupthink is a result of cohesiveness in groups, already discussed by lewin in the 1930s and is an important factor to consider in decision processes, such as workshops, meetings, conferences, committees, etc.
Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. These symptoms include the illusion of invulnerability, the belief in the inherent morality of the group, rationalization, the stereotypes of outgroups, selfcensorship, direct pressure, mindguards, and the illusion of unanimity. Janiss basic argument was that the quality of the process of foreignpolicy making is likely to have an effect on the quality of outcomes that stem from the decision. Groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty or ineffective decisions for the sake of reaching a consensus. Taking the position that recent calls for major revisions to the original formulation are premature, this article examines four theoretical areas that have been problematic for scholars investigating the groupthink phenomenon. In studies of social clubs and other small groups, conformity pressures have frequently been observed.
Groupthink definition of groupthink by the free dictionary. The effects of perceived anonymity and anonymity states on. Janis originally defined groupthink as a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when the members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alter native courses of action. Groupthink definition in the cambridge english dictionary.
In an unprecedented way, janis applied ideas from small. Groupthink is a common problem in groups where the members share backgrounds and there is no system or rules for making decisions. Listen to the audio pronunciation in the cambridge english dictionary. A behavior researched by psychologist irving janis, groupthink is what happens in small and cohesive groups when critical thinking typically loses to the forces of consensus. Groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences or alternatives. Guarding against groupthink in the professional work. Groupthink and the ubiquitous nature of polarized group decisionmaking.
Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations. Information and translations of groupthink in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Despite its widespread appeal, the groupthink model has come under severe attack recently. Groupthink is complex enough that it was never hot in that sense. In fact danny kahneman won the 2002 nobel prize based on his research into how. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that leads members of a group to make poor decisions and ignore valid alternatives in the face of internal pressures from the group. Groupthink definition is a pattern of thought characterized by selfdeception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics. Groupthink refers to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from ingroup pressures. From think tanks to study partners, groups have often been used as powerful sources to come up with ideas and help others to succeed. But what emerged subsequent to groupthink was an area called judgment and decision making, which is one of the most important areas in all of psychology.
Groupthink definition, the practice of approaching problems or issues as matters that are best dealt with by consensus of a group rather than by individuals acting independently. Groupthink definition of groupthink by medical dictionary. Individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking are lost in the pursuit of group cohesiveness, as are the advantages that can sometimes be. Janis, 1982, houghton mifflin edition, in english 2nd ed. These results, however, do not represent particularly strong support for the groupthink model given that such factors would seem likely to produce defective decisionmaking even in the total absence of groupthink reactions. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences. A psychological study of foreign policy decisions and fiascoes by irving l.
Groupthink occurs when the pressure to conform within a group interferes with that groups analysis of a problem and causes poor group decision making. Its the greatest obstacle to moral courage, manji says. Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist irving janis. The term groupthink was coined by irving janis moorhead et al. Groupthink is a term first used in 1972 by social psychologist irving l. A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when the members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. The act or practice of reasoning or decisionmaking by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view. Groups affected by groupthink will disregard realistic alternatives and typically choose. Janus 1972 said that groupthink is a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment that results from ingroup pressures.
A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes. Groupthink causes groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the groups balance. Over the years, some psychologists have argued that the concept. Kendra cherry, ms, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Groupthink definition of groupthink by merriamwebster. This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus. Groupthink and the past groupthink is a term that means a group that makes a faulty decision, and it is because the group places pressures on an individual that lead to deterioration of a mental capacity, reality testing, or moral judgment what is groupthink. I use the term groupthink as a quick and easy way to refer to the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrenceseeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses in action. Baron department of psychology university of iowa running head.
This training video models eight symptoms of groupthink using dramatizations based on historical examples. Diverse perspectives on the groupthink theory a literary. This term was first given by irving janis who was a social psychologist. Groupthink is an occurrence where by a group comes to a unanimous decision about a possible action despite the existence of fact that points to another correct course of action. Introduction thrall slavery, bondage a state of servitude or submission merriam webster online dictionary. The merriamwebster online dictionary 2010 defined groupthink as. Eurozone groupthink and denial on a grand scale william mitchell1 university of newcastle, australia 1. Considered in the dynamic of jury deliberations, the results can be disheartening. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. A good way to define this term is to tell you how irving janus the main researcher on this topic describes it. Synonyms for groupthink at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Groupthink a pattern of thought characterized by self deception, forced manufacture of.
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