Human Behavior and the Social Environment II Part V Chapter 17 Groupthink

PART STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT GROUP THINK Stages of Group Deve ink 629 Chapter 17 Define . Define the factors . Chapter 17 631 Overview of helps us blend in and feel accepted and validated but it can also lead to problems . Image Public Domain , Groups sometimes make spectacularly bad decisions . In 1961 , a special advisory committee to President John Kennedy planned and implemented a covert invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs that ended in total disaster . In 1986 , NASA carefully , and incorrectly , decided to launch the Challenger space shuttle in temperatures that were too cold . Irving Janis ( intrigued by these kinds of blundering groups , 632 Chapter 17

carried out a number of case studies of such groups the military experts that planned the defense of Pearl Harbor ( Bay of Pigs planning group the presidential team that escalated the war in Vietnam . Each group , he concluded , fell prey to a distorted style of thinking that rendered the group members incapable of making a rational decision . Janis labeled this syndrome a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive when the members for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action ( Janis identified both the telltale symptoms that signal the group is experiencing and the interpersonal factors that combine to cause . To Janis , is a disease that infects healthy groups , rendering them inefficient and unproductive . And like the physician who searches for symptoms that distinguish one disease from another , Janis identified a number of symptoms that should serve to warn members that they may be falling prey to . These symptoms include overestimating the groups skills and wisdom , biased perceptions and evaluations of other groups and people who are outside of the group , strong conformity pressures within the group , and poor methods . Janis also singled out four factors that combine to cause cohesion , isolation , biased leadership , and decisional stress . Cohesion only occurs in cohesive groups . Such groups have many advantages over groups that lack unity . People enjoy their membership much more in cohesive groups , they are less likely to abandon the group , and they work harder in pursuit of the group goals . But extreme cohesiveness can be dangerous . When cohesiveness intensifies , members become more likely to accept the goals , decisions , and norms of the group without reservation . Conformity pressures also rise as members become reluctant to say or do anything that Chapter 17 633

goes against the grain of the group , and the number of internal for good decision . Isolation . groups too often work behind closed doors , keeping out of the limelight . They isolate themselves from outsiders and refuse to modify their beliefs to bring them into line with society beliefs . They avoid leaks by maintaining strict confidentiality and working only with people who are members of their group . Biased leadership . A biased leader who exerts too much authority over group members can increase conformity pressures and railroad decisions . In groups , the leader determines the agenda for each meeting , sets limits on discussion , and can even decide who will be heard . Decisional stress . becomes more likely when the group is stressed , particularly by time pressures . When groups are stressed they minimize their discomfort by quickly choosing a plan of action with little argument or dissension . Then , through collective discussion , the group members can rationalize their choice by exaggerating the positive consequences , minimizing the possibility of negative outcomes , concentrating on minor details , and overlooking larger issues . Additional Resources Check out this reading concerning during the Mount Everest disaster . Pollack , 2011 ) 634 Chapter 17

Leadership in extreme A analysis of the May 1996 Mount Everest disaster . Journal of Leadership Studies , References , 2020 ) The psychology of groups . In ( textbook series Psychology . Champaign , IL DEF publishers . Retrieved from , Pollack , 2011 ) Leadership in extreme A analysis of the May 1996 mount Everest disaster . Journal of Leadership Studies , Attribution Adapted from The Psychology of Groups by under the Creative Commons International License . Chapter 17 635