In his article \u201cGroupthink,\u201d Irving Janis explains the flaws of group thinking, or groupthink as he calls it, and suggests a few remedies to it. The main problem with groupthink is that the opinion of the majority can smother the opinion of the minority, especially in situations where unanimity is required. A group can turn into its own little society; norms are established relatively quickly, and a sense of loyalty to the group makes challenging these norms difficult. Janis categorizes this phenomenon as pressure. He suggests nine remedies to counter the effects of groupthink when making a decision in a group setting. The overarching theme present in all nine is the importance of objection. Placing a priority on objection forces the group to face any possible downfall in a plan, and this creates, in theory, watertight decisions.<\/p>\n
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The plot of Thirteen Days <\/em>revolves around the issues that present themselves in a group setting. The movie dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis, in particular, a period of high tension in American politics as it followed the failure of the Bay of Pigs. One thing that stuck out to me in this movie was how it was important to recognize that every member of a group has a different perspective, as well as a personal agenda. Most members of the groups in Thirteen Days <\/em>represented a department of the government, so JFK had to take in everyone\u2019s input while keeping this in the back of his mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In his article \u201cGroupthink,\u201d Irving Janis explains the flaws of group thinking, or groupthink as he calls it, and suggests a few remedies to it.…<\/p>\n