Groupthink

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which conformity or the desire for social harmony leads to incorrect or irrational decision-making. Members of the group try to minimize conflict and reach a unanimous decision without adequately evaluating alternative viewpoints, actively suppressing dissenting opinions and isolating themselves from outside influence.

In such a situation, unanimity among group members unjustifiably comes to be valued more highly than logic and rational thinking. The level of conformity rises significantly, information that is important for the group's activities is interpreted in a biased manner, and unwarranted optimism and a belief in the group's unlimited capabilities are cultivated. Information that does not fit the accepted line is ignored or significantly distorted by group members. As a result, an impression of unanimous decision-making is created. Groupthink can have far-reaching social and political consequences: history offers many examples of tragic mistakes made as a result of such decisions.

This is the phenomenon in which a group's drive to reach agreement and consensus leads to decisions that may be irrational or ineffective. The main characteristics and signs of groupthink include:

• Conformity: Group members tend to agree with the majority opinion, even if they harbor personal doubts or disagreement.
• Illusion of invulnerability: The group may believe in its own invincibility or rightness, ignoring possible risks and alternative opinions.
• Suppression of dissent: Criticism and alternative viewpoints may be suppressed or ignored in order to preserve an appearance of unity.
• Rationalization: The group may invent justifications for its decisions and actions in order to avoid criticism and doubt.

Examples of groupthink

Groupthink can manifest in various contexts, such as:

• Corporate decisions: In companies and organizations, groups may make risky or ineffective decisions out of a desire to reach agreement.
• Politics: In political circles, groupthink can lead to decisions that fail to take into account all possible consequences and opinions.
• Social movements: In social and public movements, the drive for unity can suppress dissent and critical views.

The phenomenon of groupthink was discovered by Irving Janis while studying groups that made political and military decisions. Janis found that, over time, groups with an unchanging membership began to make decisions so unprofessional that even a layperson would not have made such mistakes. After the publication of his book Victims of Groupthink in 1972, and a new edition titled Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes in 1982, the concept of groupthink came to be widely used to explain many erroneous historical decisions. Among them are Nazi Germany's decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941; U.S. President Harry Truman's decision to enter the conflict in Korea; U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's decision to begin military action in Vietnam; the Watergate scandal; and U.S. President John F. Kennedy's decision on the intervention at the Bay of Pigs. In 1975, three years after the publication of Janis's first work, an article on the term was included in Webster's encyclopedic dictionary with a meaning similar to doublethink: "conformity to group values and ethics."

The phenomenon of groupthink is characteristic of both non-destructive groups and destructive cults. However, it is precisely in destructive cults that the most brutal and irrational decisions are made: for example, the poisoning of people in the Tokyo subway by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, or the call to death and the announcement of the "end of the world" by the White Brotherhood. In non-destructive groups, the consequences of groupthink can, under certain circumstances, later be minimized, which does not happen in destructive cults.

Irving Janis identified 8 symptoms that may indicate groupthink:

Type I: Overestimation of the group's power and morality

1. An illusion of invulnerability, which creates unwarranted optimism and encourages taking high levels of risk

2. An unquestioned belief in the group's high moral standing, and as a result, group members ignoring the consequences of their actions

Type II: Closed-mindedness toward the outside world

3. Ignoring outside signals that might call into question the conclusions reached by the group

4. Negative stereotyping of the group's opponents as weak, biased, malicious, and stupid

Type III: Pressure toward uniformity

5. Self-censorship by each group member of their own ideas that might contradict the group's overall opinion

6. An illusion of unanimity, in which silence is taken as a sign of agreement

7. Direct pressure from the group, accusing any member who questions its decisions of disloyalty

8. "Mindguards" — self-appointed members of the group who shield it from information that contradicts the group's overall opinion

Janis developed 8 practical recommendations for overcoming groupthink:

1. The leader should assign each group member the role of "critical evaluator." This allows every member to freely voice objections and doubts.
2. The leader should not express a personal opinion while assigning a task to the group.
3. The leader should be absent from most of the group's meetings in order to avoid having an excessive influence on the outcome through their own opinion.
4. Organizations should create several independent groups to work on the same problem.
5. All alternatives should be examined in detail.
6. Each group member should discuss the group's ideas with credible people outside the group.
7. The group should invite outside experts to its meetings. Group members should be given the opportunity to discuss the issues at hand with outside experts.
8. At least one group member should be appointed "devil's advocate." This role should be passed to a new group member at each subsequent meeting.

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy used a whole range of the tools listed above to minimize the effect of "groupthink." In particular, outside experts were invited to meetings for a free exchange of views, and all group members could ask them any questions they had. Group members were encouraged to discuss planned decisions with credible staff from subordinate units. The group was divided into several subgroups in order to reduce group conformity. Kennedy deliberately stayed away from meetings in order to avoid placing excessive pressure through his own opinion. Largely thanks to this approach, a large-scale military confrontation with the Soviet Union was avoided.

To avoid the negative consequences of groupthink, the following strategies can be applied:

• Encouraging critical thinking: Creating an environment in which questions, criticism, and alternative opinions are welcomed.
• Appointing a "devil's advocate": Designating a person who will specifically raise counterarguments and question the group's decisions.
• Splitting the group into subgroups: Holding discussions in smaller subgroups before making a final decision.
• Involving outside experts: Inviting experts from outside to assess decisions and provide an independent opinion.

Understanding and managing groupthink is important for making more balanced and effective decisions in various group contexts.

• Group reinforcement
• Abilene paradox
• Conformity