In Irving Janis excerpt of “Groupthink” the author talks about how groupthink is involved when a group of people are together and they have to think about solutions to problems or decision-making about something. Janis talks about in the decision making process that people tend to be more prone to one side of the decision and focus more on agreeing to get a feeling of togetherness thorughout the decision. Janis states that “the symptoms of groupthink arise when the members of decision-making groups become motivated to avoid being too harsh in their judgements of their leaders’ or their colleagues’ ideas.” This was very interesting to me because in some way I believe that everyone has been involved in some degree of groupthink and I found it interesting that the people in the group are more inclined to agree with everyone even if they aren’t sure that it is the right decision.
When talking about groupthink I think it is important because we make decisions everyday and sometimes we make decisions as a group and it only makes sense that when we are in a group, especially if it is a minor situation, we tend to go to the easiest decison, even when we go against our own individual thinking. Janis also talks about norms and how people feel accepted in a group that has increased group cohesiveness which means they are less likely to go against the leader or any other group members. This is relatable to me because I know that I have been involved in some degree of groupthink and to understand that there is a term for the way we thought as a group is interesting.
I liked your point on how it is important for any and all groups of people to be aware of this as ones opinions can be blurred when in a group setting. It is also true how it can make going against the leader/ group harder.
I really enjoyed this post and the points you discussed. The reason why people are inclined to agree is to form this sense of unity as well as them being slightly unsure in themselves that their idea is correct/rejection. In the movie thirteen hours, JFK did an excellent job of combating group think and learning from his mistakes.