GROUPTHINK
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1473 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
- “The deterioration of mental efficiency, quality of reality testing, and quality of moral judgment that results from in-group pressures” (Template:Ency person and Template:Ency person, 1993, p.4).
The authors comment: Subject to Groupthink, a group may seem to accept a specific Template:Ency term; however, if individual group members are confronted with that point of view separately from the group, few members would accept that view as their own“ (Ibid).
Groupthink results from role Template:Ency term among group members. “Specific Template:Ency term found in Groupthink involve such Template:Ency term as ”gatekeeper“, ”whip“, etc., that distinguish one member from another. Certain individuals dominate the discussion. Individuals known to have views not compatible with whatever viewpoint is being favored may be silenced or excluded from the group” (Template:Ency person, 1995a, p.65).
Template:Ency person, as quoted by Template:Ency person describes the eight symptoms of Groupthink:
- “1. An illusion of invulnerability, shared by most or all of the members.
- “2. Collective efforts to rationalize in order to discount warnings.
- “3. An unquestioned belief in the group's inherent morality.
- “4. Stereotyped views of rivals and enemies.
- “5. Direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group stereotypes, illusions, or commitments.
- “6. Self-censorship of Template:Ency term.
- “7. A shared illusion of unanimity … augmented by the false assumption that silence means consent.
- “8. The Template:Ency term of self-appointed mind-guards” (1994b, p.259).
A still more nocive variant of Groupthink is Template:Ency term, wherein everybody is subservient to generally unperceived mental Template:Ency term resulting from unexpressed — and sometimes hidden — cultural Template:Ency term and Template:Ency term.