The Concept of Groupthink in SociologyReading passageGroupthink is a psychological phenomenon that

Understanding Groupthink

Groupthink occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Members of the group often suppress dissenting viewpoints, leading to a loss of individual creativity, uniqueness, and independent thinking. Groupthink can cause groups to make poor decisions because the group members prioritize consensus over the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action. This concept is especially prevalent in cohesive groups where members seek to minimize conflict and reach a consensus without critical evaluation of ideas.

Examples of Groupthink

Alright, so today we’re going to talk about groupthink and how it can affect decision-making in groups. Let me give you a couple of examples to illustrate this. First, consider a company’s board of directors. They might all agree on a new business strategy without critically evaluating its potential downsides because they want to maintain a sense of unity and avoid conflict. This desire for consensus can lead to the implementation of a flawed strategy that everyone later regrets. Another example is in government policy-making. Sometimes, political advisors might not voice their true opinions about a policy proposal because they don’t want to disrupt the team's harmony. This can result in policies that are not well thought out, simply because no one wanted to be the dissenting voice. So, groupthink can really lead to some significant problems in decision-making processes.

Student Response on Groupthink

Groupthink is when a group prioritizes harmony over making the best decision. In the reading, it says this happens when people don’t want to disagree, which can lead to bad decisions. In the lecture, the professor gives two examples. First, a company’s board might agree on a strategy without checking its flaws to keep unity. Later, they might regret this decision. Second, in government, advisors might not share true opinions to avoid disrupting harmony, which can lead to poorly thought-out policies. So, groupthink can cause problems because people choose agreement over critical thinking.