Janiss essay is still the alumni magazines most requested reprint. Irving janis and his work in political psychology betterhelp. The model was created looking at historical case studies of presumably poor decision making processes, resulting in disasters. A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when the members strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action. A brief history of groupthink features yale alumni. Groupthink mayton major reference works wiley online library. The bay of pigs invasion failed, according to janis, due to the kennedy government making a group decision to support the exiled cuban political party led by fidel castro, which was overthrown in 1960, to invade cuba again with the help of cia.
Lessons in decision making jfks legacy and groupthink. This is one of the key characteristics of groupthink. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision making in groups ps2030 social psychology word count. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision making.
By downloading this soft data publication victims of groupthink. Study 22 groupthink irving janis, 1972, 1982 exam2 flashcards from amwe g. Irving janis attributed the cause of the disaster to groupthink. Janis contributed to the literature on group decision making as he provided a theory that explains that consensus seeking might by sought by the ingroup members using more subtle mechanisms. We enjoy independent thought, they suffer from groupthink. Two heads are better than one is a common misconception people have that group discussions and decisions are better than working individually. Groupthink is a process of deliberation and sharing of ideas in a certain organization which imply a series of positive and negative effects on the development of organizations. Irving lester janis developed a study on decision making based on human social behavior in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is felt more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner. In groupthink in his classic 1972 study, victims of groupthink. Evaluating janis groupthink model of faulty decision.
Janis summarizes this attitude as everything is going to work out all right because we are a special group. It is based on human social behavior, in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is regarded more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner. And yet not all small groups suffer from groupthink. The invasion was an utter failure when about 20,000 cuban soldiers ended the assault within three days.
In studies of social clubs and other small groups, conformity pressures have frequently been observed. Groupthink was the term janis used for the phenomenon of flawed group dynamics that can let bad ideas go unchallenged and can sometimes yield disastrous outcomes. Teori pemikiran kelompok groupthink theory yasir, m. Groupthink irving janis, 1972, 1982 exam2 communication 4020 with anders at university of north texas. Janis victims of groupthink article pdf available in political psychology 122. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes. In order to maintain a wellfunctioning group, one should encourage group discussions and collaborative decision making but in the same place should try to eliminate groupthink and groupshift. But what janis more generally showed through each of his carefully researched case studies was how this form of collective human psychology operates according to certain clearly identifiable rules. In the first edition victims of groupthink, iriving l. Most people credit the idea of groupthink to the social psychologist irving janis, who saw it as an organisational problem.
Groupthink is an occurrence where by a group comes to a unanimous decision about a possible action despite the existence of fact that points to another correct course of action. Kramer, roderick 1998 revisiting the bay of pigs and vietnam decisions 25 years later. Groupthink according to irving janis 1982 is a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment, that results from ingroup pressure all academic inc. Identification of the scholarly articles resulted from three. In an unprecedented way, janis applied ideas from smallgroup analysis to the explanation of policy fiascoes. Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist irving janis 1972, occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration. Janis was a professor of psychology at the university of california, berkeley, professor emeritus of psychology at yale, and author the groupthink theory, described in his book, groupthink. Janis several times set out lists of the symptoms of groupthink, and his lengthy study included much analysis of its other attributes. Janis came up with the idea of groupthink during a yale seminar on the psychology of small groups.
May 30, 2019 groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences or alternatives. He made plausible the hypothesis that each of these events can, to a considerable extent, be attributed to the occurrence of a very. Janis lays out eight prominent symptoms of groupthink in his two works victims of groupthink. Groupthink the psychological drive for consensus at any cost that suppresses disagreement and prevents the appraisal of alternatives in cohesive decisionmaking groups. An assigned decision rule and a groupthink phenomenon. Groupthink, a term coined by social psychologist irving janis 1972, occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment p. What is groupthink1 what is groupthink groupthink a. According to irving janis, the inventor of the groupthink concept, decisionmaking groups are most likely to experience groupthink when they operate under the following conditions.
Janis irving l 1982 groupthink psychological studies of. Organizational behavior and human decision processes. Janis in the on the internet link download, you remain in the primary step right to do. Although janis groupthink theory was based on historical case studies and not empirical evidence it quickly found mass appeal. The methodology of janiss groupthink model has been largely criticised. Psychological studies of policy decisions and fiascoes by irving l. Maybe it was a business or academic committee, a social group, a church board, a government agency. This term was first given by irving janis who was a social psychologist. Groupthink is a phenomenon developed in groups marked by the consensus of opinion without critical reasoning or evaluation of consequences. The first symptom occurs when the group develops a false sense of imperviousness which then leads to more risky decision making. His main aim was to understand how a group of individuals came. Unfortunately, janis was selective and not always consistent in his application of research in group dynamics. Articles warning of the dangers of groupthink and suggesting remedies appeared in management, psychology, and sociology periodicals. Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations.
Oct 26, 2011 groupthink by irving lester janis, irving l. Irving janis groupthink theory explains how groups make decisions based on such a strong pressure to confirm that they fail to consider all possible options adequately. Includes apparent conformity, being invulnerable, moral correctness and biased group p. Alternatives to the rational perspective have taken many forms. Irving janis developed a study on group decisionmaking, called groupthink theory. Hasil pengujian yang dilakukan janis menunjukkan bahwa terdapat suatu kondisi yang mengarah pada munculnya kepuasan kelompok yang baik. Groupthink irving janis, 1972, 1982 exam2 communication. Although the precise wording of janis s hypothesis has changed somewhat over time, at its core is the assertion that the existence of certain antecedent. Janis 1983 then investigated if the groupthink model could apply to the decision making. Janis showed how this phenomenon contributed to some of the major u. Janis analyzed the tragic explosion of the challenger space shuttle of 1986, and concluded that incompetency and inexperience was the cause of the. Irving janis introduced the theory of groupthink in his classic study victims of groupthink in 1972. When a decision to go to war is made because the u.
Groupthink discourages highly creative solutions and, in janis estimation, tends to result in disastrous outcomes. The latter requires consensus on the gist of shared policy and rules of. Janis, 1982, houghton mifflin edition, in english 2nd ed. One important set of alternative approaches has stressed the political dimensions of deci. Janis victims of groupthink paul t hart1 introduction victims of groupthink. Collectively, these data strongly suggest that janis erred when identifying the necessary and sufficient antecedent conditions for groupthink. Since its initial publication, the theory of groupthink has been one of the most widely cited contributions to the study of decision making janis 1972, 1982, 1989. How well has the groupthink hypothesis stood the test of time. This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus. Groupthink 249 making see dror 1964, 1968, etzioni 1967, and lindblom 1979 for classical statements of alternative normative models. Asumsi penting dari groupthink, sebagaimana dikemukakan turner dan west 2008. Janis was a research psychologist at yale university and a professor emeritus at the university of california, berkeley most famous for his theory of groupthink which described the systematic errors made by groups when taking collective decisions.
A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes 1972 and groupthink 1982. Janis argued that groupthink, a term he used to describe a tendency for extreme concurrenceseeking in decisionmaking groups, was a major cause of a number of u. A psychological study of foreign policy decisions and fiascoes by irving l. Most of the initial research on groupthink was conducted by irving janis, a research psychologist from yale university. Janis s groupthink theory is an appealing explanation of how group process can get in the way of optimal decision making. I use the term groupthink as a quick and easy way to refer to the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrenceseeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive ingroup that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses in action. On the morning of january 28, 1986, the space shuttle challenger blasted off from the kennedy space center in florida.
Professionalismirving janis and groupthink wikibooks, open. In my studies of highlevel governmental decisionmakers, both civilian and military, i have found eight main symptoms of groupthink. Groupthink definition groupthink refers to decisionmaking groups extreme concurrence seeking conformity that is hypothesized to result in highly defective judgments and outcomes. Groupthink became extremely popular in a wide range of literature. Janis experienced and had been a witness to such consensus on the essence of the term during the incident of the utilization of such method during the pearl.
Case studies of groupthink tetlock 1979 analysis of foreign policy decisions of the us government. A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes, which focused on the psychological mechanism behind foreign policy decisions such as the pearl harbor bombing, the vietnam war, and the bay of pigs invasion. Irving lester janis may 26, 1918 november 15, 1990 was a research psychologist at yale university and a professor emeritus at the university of california, berkeley most famous for his theory of groupthink which described the systematic errors made by groups when making collective decisions. Groupthink principles and fundamentals in organizations journal. Groupthink is likely to develop in highly cohesive groups or, as suggested by paul t hart, through anticipatory compliance.
Effects of groupthink on tactical decisionmaking dtic. There is a major difference between group discussion, group decision making, groupthink and groupshift. An agreeing seeking tendency interfering with group decision making. Group think decision makers were more likely to make positive references to their ingroup a.
Janis s essay is still the alumni magazines most requested reprint. Janis defined groupthink as a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when the members. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decisionmaking outcome. Terdapat kondisikondisi di dalam kelompok yang mekmpromosikan kohesivitas tinggi. Although the precise wording of janiss hypothesis has changed somewhat over time, at its core is the assertion that the existence of certain antecedent.
Janis attributed the causes of groupthink in the bay of pigs to cohesion, secrecy, biased leadership, and lack of critical methodology. Janis had studied the bay of pigs invasion fiasco of 1961 before making the theory of group think. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs. Review of the major symptoms in order to test generalization about the conditions that increase the chances of groupthink, we must operationalize the concept of groupthink by describing the symptoms to which it refers. Free pdf download test, implement, and support new operating systemsvictims and hardware. Irving janis was a 20th century social psychologist who identified the phenomenon of groupthink professional life.
A psychological study of foreignpolicy decisions and fiascoes, by irving l. Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. Irving janis was born in buffalo, new york, in 1918. Groupthink occurs when groups place group harmony above motivation to assess plans of. His book on the subject went into a second edition that is still in print as a college textbook.
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