Groupthink-psychology

Examples of large groups turning inward.

A college may think that it is promoting social diversity by increasing its number of international students, but if these numbers become too great these international students are likely to form their own group which will only interact with itself.

Heterogeneous Groups Turn Outward example.

Campus groups which recruit students from all walks of life will be able to in turn reach out to more students from all walks of life.

Physical Boundaries Create Social Boundaries

Example: College students housed in different dorms are less likely to interact with each other.

Example of in-groups and put-groups

Fraternity members views of computer nerds; one gang versus another; Catskill basketball players versus Chatham basketball players.

What is the Bay of Pigs in 1961?

In his memoirs Arthur Schlesinger Jr., an advisor to President Kennedy, said he experienced the pressures of groupthink when he didn't speak out during important Cabinet discussions as to the advisability of invading Cuba. He said he didn't speak out because the Cabinet group dynamics discouraged anyone from challenging what most people in the group thought was the correct decision. His real opinion was that invading Cuba was a very stupid idea.

Large Groups Turn Inward.

Psychologist Peter Blau has found that the larger a group is the more likely it is to just have relationships with each other.

Heterogeneous Groups Turn Outward.

The more diverse an original groups starts out as, the more outside relationships this diverse group will have.

What is groupthink?

The tendency of group members to conform, resulthing in a narrow and distorted view of some issue.

What are reference groups?

This is a social group that serves as a point of reference in an individual's evaluation of reality and decision making. Example: A young man who imagines his family's response to a woman he is dating is using his family as a reference group.

Define In-Groups

This is a social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty.

Define Out-Groups

This is a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition.

Groups of 4 or more.

groups of four or more are the most stable of groups because they can better withstand the loss of one of its members.

Define group sizes.

the size of a group plays a very important role in how the group members interact.

The Dyad.

this is a social group of two members. It is the most intense relationship,

The Triad.

this is a social group with three members. A triad can often be more stable than a dyad when mere friendship is involved because one member of the group can act as a mediator should the relationship between the other two group members become strained.