How was the Janis Theory of Groupthink developed?

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Groupthink is a term which is reminiscent of terms created in George Orwell’s book, 1984. Orwell used similar terms such as Newspeak, Duckspeak, and Crimethink to parody the social yielding of individuals in the fictitious, futuristic society which was the subject of his book, to the society’s social consensus. The society described, was a highly controlled society, with a high level of social monitoring and policing. He noted that specific types of cliche thinking or automatic speaking processes became common practice. Individuals in the novel would suspend reason and go along with social expectations in order to comply with those expectations, rather than voice or even become aware of their own true feelings.

It has been noted that intelligent and knowledgeable people, when acting in a cohesive group, have been known to arrive at disastrous decisions, which they most certainly would not all have arrived at, had they been thinking independently. This is a symptom of a social-psychological phenomenon called Groupthink. Irving Janis coined the term Groupthink in 1972.

Janis, through a series of experiments, documented eight symptoms of groupthink. These are dynamics which occur within certain cohesive groups, trying to arrive at a unanimous group decision. The first symptom of groupthink behavior is the illusion of invulnerability. Members of the group experience an irrational optimism and sense of security, which encourages them to take extreme and often irrational risks. The second symptom of groupthink behavior is collective rationalization, where members of the group discount warnings and fail to reevaluate their assumptions or consider alternatives to their unanimous belief. The third symptom is the belief in the inherent morality of the group’s cause. This belief causes members to ignore ethical boundaries that may be crossed in achieving their goals. They also fail to anticipate consequences of their actions. A fourth symptom is the tendency to stereotype the views of those outside of their own group, making outsiders the enemy. A sixth symptom is the element of direct negative pressure applied on those who dare to oppose the views of the group. The seventh symptom is the illusion that the group is unanimous in their opinions, judgments and beliefs of the group. The eight symptom of groupthink is the presence of self-appointed “mindguards” or members of the group who aim to protect decision makers from information that may disturb the group’s views or cohesiveness.

Very damaging effects in the realms of government, media, science, law and social justice occur when people, part of a cohesive group engage in a mode of thinking in which they are striving for unanimity. This mode of thinking has the ability to override a person’s ability to think critically and rationally, and to consider the validity of alternative courses of action. The individuals of the group and their unique perspectives, talents, backgrounds and areas of expertise are suspended in the pursuit of group cohesiveness.

There are factors which can help suspend the tendency towards groupthink. Groups aware of the danger of groupthink, will want to suspend groupthink in order to arrive at a sound decision and not one which is a result of an evolution of ideas based upon group consensus. It has been proven that awareness of groupthink, is not enough to ward off its effects. Checks and balances are essential in order for an appropriate group conscience to be expressed. Employing a designated “devil’s advocate” in the group who will challenge beliefs and opinions of the group and dissuade group consensus is a good idea. This opens the group up to other possibilities and forces individuals to think outside of the group consensus. Another good practice is providing an anonymous opinions box. This reduces social pressures to conform and encourages individual thought and opinions, without the social cost of being judged by the group. Commitment to methodological procedures can help ensure that rational thinking is kept in check.

Resource by A.Moore

I just moved to Michigan from South Carolina. This is my first winter here and so far it's freezing. I enjoy traveling, drawing, camping, writing, and doing community service in my spare time. I work for a education company and help them with their outreach to teachers and students. Hope everyone enjoys my articles.

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