Groupthink

By Irving Jarvis’s definition, Groupthink is a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. Groupthink is quite scary as groups that displayed groupthink symptoms were more likely to produce poor decision outcomes, and in then end failure in achieving their desired outsomes.

In my own simpler terms, it occurs when a collective group of people makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment. This group of people tend to ignore alternatives and take on irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. Due to the illusion of their invulnerability, it creates excessive optimism and encourages risk taking in decisions. Often enough, miscalculations; faulty information processing, inadequate surveys of alternatives, and other potentially avoidable errors are most probable in a group experiencing this phenomenon. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.

Groupthink happens to more closely bonded groups. Highly cohesive groups are much more likely to engage in groupthink. The closer they are, the less likely they are to raise questions that might break the cohesion. For example, back in my secondary school, I used to have a group of friends which have a certain status standing in school. This led to us engaging in activities that earned us punishments. Details I will not be revealing, but now when I reflect back, we did make some foolish decisions. In some cases, we avoided speaking of sensitive topics so as to not make the atmosphere awkward. But deep down, we know about the flaws of our clan, but maybe just to keep up appearances to outsiders, we create the illusion of infallibility.

By following these guidelines, groupthink can be avoided. After the Bay of Pigs invasion fiasco, John F. Kennedy sought to avoid groupthink during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During meetings, he invited outside experts to share their viewpoints, and allowed group members to question them carefully. He also encouraged group members to discuss possible solutions with trusted members within their separate departments, and he even divided the group up into various sub-groups, in order to partially break the group cohesion. JFK was deliberately absent from the meetings, so as to avoid pressing his own opinion. Ultimately, the Cuban missile crisis was resolved peacefully, thanks in part to these measures.

Current examples of groupthink can be found in the decisions of the Bush administration and Congress to pursue an invasion of Iraq based on a policy of “pre-emptive use of military force against terrorists and rogue nations”. The decision to rush to war in Iraq before a broad-based coalition of allies could be built has placed the US in an unenviable military situation in Iraq that is costly in terms of military deaths and casualties. Thus, based on the consequences diplomatically and economically, one would hesitate to believe that USA had made the correct decision in attacking the terrorist nation.

Another evidence of groupthink at its work is the American press, especially the television news media. US television news is geared more toward providing entertainment than information. When one compares the news Americans received about the “war on terrorism” and “war in Iraq” with the news citizens of other countries received, it is easy to understand why many Americans were keen to launch an attack on Saddam Hussein while most of the world discouraged the idea. The major news networks eagerly voiced almost exclusively the Bush administration’s justifications for the attack on Iraq and ignored the voices of millions who knew that other ways of addressing the issues were still possible. Furthermore, the rapid pace of CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News opinion programs makes it difficult for viewers to process information in any depth. Americans need a press that serves as a devil’s advocate to alleviate the ongoing groupthink concerning the war on terrorism and the invasion of Iraq. Americans need an organisation to be open to alternative decisions and reviews, to act as the role of the ‘critical evaluator’, so as to avoid making global mistakes.

Well, this is my take on groupthink and how it is prevalent in the global news and media. Hope it helps you guys when revising for the upcoming paper. :)