Groupthink and Group Shift (VCE SSCE Psychology): Revision Notes

Groupthink and Group Shift

Groupthink

What is groupthink?

Groupthink occurs when maintaining group harmony and loyalty becomes more important than making the best decisions. In this phenomenon, individuals suppress their personal beliefs and conform to the majority view, even when they privately disagree with the group's position.

When groups prioritize reaching unanimous agreement over carefully evaluating all available options, groupthink can develop. Members may set aside their own judgements to preserve social cohesiveness within the group. This can range from simply not expressing doubts to completely ignoring the ethical or moral consequences of the group's actions.

People often engage in groupthink because they:

• Fear that voicing disagreement will disrupt group harmony
• Worry that expressing contrary views might lead to rejection by other members
• Feel uncertain about whether their ideas have merit when everyone else seems to agree

As this pattern repeats, members holding opposing views come to believe their perspectives conflict with the majority. This encourages them to withhold information and ideas they fear will meet with disapproval.

The eight symptoms of groupthink

Researchers have identified eight distinct symptoms that characterize groupthink situations:

1. Illusions of invulnerability: The group displays excessive optimism and takes significant risks. Members feel they are perfect and that everything they do will succeed.
2. Belief in the group's inherent morality: Members believe whatever the group does must be appropriate because they all know right from wrong. This causes them to overlook the consequences of their decisions.
3. Collective rationalisation: Members rationalize thoughts or suggestions that challenge the majority view. They try to explain away why others disagree whilst continuing with their original decisions.
4. Self-censorship: Individuals believe that if they are the only one disagreeing with the group's decision, they must be wrong.
5. Illusions of unanimity: When disagreeing members remain silent rather than voicing opposition, their silence is interpreted as acceptance of the majority's decision.
6. Direct pressure on dissenters: The majority directly threatens members who question the group's decisions, telling them they can leave if they don't agree. The group applies pressure to force dissenters to conform.
7. Self-appointed mind guards: Some members take it upon themselves to discourage alternative ideas from being expressed within the group.
8. Outgroup stereotypes: The group believes that members who disagree oppose them on purpose. They stereotype disagreeing members as incapable of making correct decisions and as weak or evil.

Factors that influence groupthink

Groupthink is more likely to occur when certain conditions are present:

• Highly similar group members: When there is a strong group identity, members tend to perceive their group as superior and express scorn towards outsiders.
• Powerful and compelling leader: A charismatic leader who commands the group increases the likelihood of groupthink.
• Lack of personal knowledge: When people feel they lack expertise or believe other group members are more qualified, they are more likely to conform.
• Extreme stress or moral dilemmas: High-pressure situations or complex ethical problems make groups more vulnerable to groupthink.

Consequences of groupthink

Whilst groupthink may allow groups to make decisions and complete tasks quickly, it frequently results in poor decision-making. Better options are overlooked as people ignore their instinct to provide alternatives, critiques, or new perspectives.

Real-world example: The Challenger disaster

Group shift

What is group shift?

Group shift occurs when discussion leads a group to adopt attitudes or actions that are more extreme than the initial positions of individual members. This phenomenon represents a dramatic change in members' attitudes, moving them towards a more extreme version of whatever position they were already leaning towards before the group discussion.

As a result:

• Conservative individuals become more cautious
• Aggressive individuals take more risks

Origins: James Stoner's research

In 1961, MIT student James Stoner developed the "risky shift" theory, which proposed that decisions made within a group are riskier than those made individually before the group meets.

Stoner's method:

• Presented subjects with hypothetical situations requiring them to judge whether an individual's decision would be beneficial or risky
• Asked subjects to record their individual judgements on a list of probabilities
• Had subjects discuss the situation in groups
• Recorded the group decisions

Findings: Subjects chose safer courses of action in their individual recordings but adopted riskier approaches during group discussions.

Stoner's theory inspired extensive research, and the concept was eventually renamed "group shift" to reflect that the shift could be towards either more risky or more cautious positions.

How group shift works

Similarly, research has shown that when prejudiced students debate racial issues, they become more prejudiced. Conversely, when less-prejudiced students discuss the same topics, they become even less prejudiced.

Real-life examples of group shift include terrorist attacks, mob mentality, public policy decisions, violent acts, peer pressure, college life dynamics, and jury verdicts.

Explanations for group shift

Three main factors explain why group shift occurs:

Factor	Explanation
Diffusion of responsibility	Group members can behave in ways they think are best because responsibility is diffused within the group. Individual members are not held responsible for the group's ultimate decision when that decision is made collectively. As a result, greater risk may be accepted, as no single member can be held entirely accountable.
Social status	Risk-taking is frequently linked to social standing within groups. We admire people who are willing to take chances, and group discussions encourage members to demonstrate that they are as eager to take risks as their colleagues.
Familiarity of risk	Group members become more familiar with one another through debate, and they become bolder and more radical as they grow more comfortable. Additionally, people become more accustomed to a potential action or decision the longer they consider it, perceiving less danger in it over time.

Relationship to groupthink

Group shift may be regarded as a subset of groupthink. When a group discusses how they will behave in a situation, the decision on whether to change behaviour is influenced by the ideas of those with the highest status in the group. However, how they change their behaviour is influenced by existing norms that indicate whether the group is likely to engage in cautious or risky behaviour.

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