Social Behavior Part 3

1. Groupthink

2. RESPOND:
“Two heads are better than one.”
A saying that means “it is better to make decisions in a
group than individually.”
Do you agree, or disagree?

3. Social Impact on Behavior
How did cult leader Jim Jones convince
900 people to commit
“revolutionary suicide” in 1978?

4. Groupthink
A phenomenon that occurs when the desire to reach a
consensus in a group actually leads to the suppression of
good ideas and good judgement.
Group members try to
minimize conflict, which
causes a lack of critical or
dissenting viewpoints.This
often occurs when
members are very loyal to
the group, and do not feel a
desire to challenge it.
In a “groupthink” situation, you may
have individual ideas or opinions to
share, but feel that you can not or
should not share them.

5. Groupthink
Let’s increase
the price of our
product!
YEAH!

6. Groupthink
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.

7. “Illusion of Unanimity”
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.
I think that’s a bad
idea, but everyone
probably agrees
with him.

8. “Illusion of Unanimity”
When group members assume that everyone in the
group agrees about something, but in reality, people
are censoring their true opinions.

9. Groupthink
Groupthink is most likely when…
1. The group members are
homogeneous (similar to each other)
2. The group members have an
outspoken leader
3. The group members are isolated
4. The group members fear negative
consequences associated with leaving
the group
+NOTE: People are more
likely to conform to a new
group if they feel like they
have been rejected by
groups in the past.

10. Groupthink Example
The space shuttle
Challenger was scheduled
to take off on January 28,
1986. The flight had been
postponed once already
due to bad weather.
However, the company that made the
ship’s rubber O-rings reported that the
weather on launch day was too cold, and
could cause a fuel leak. They told NASA
to postpone the launch a second time.

11. Groupthink Example
NASA called a private meeting, and invited
representatives from the company that made
the O-rings. Even though some thought it
was a bad idea, by the end of the meeting,
all group members conformed to NASA’s
desire to launch the ship.
The result
was bad
decision-
making.

12. Video

13. 1. Encourage all group members to
participate in discussion.
2. Encourage people to share dissenting
or differing opinions.
3. Critically discuss all alternatives and
ideas before making a decision.
4. Invite experts from outside the group
to share their ideas and opinions.
5. Have the group leader share his/her
ideas last, after group members get
the chance to share ideas.
Preventing Groupthink:

14. Social Impact on Behavior
• Groups create pressure to conform
Normative Influence
Informational Influence
• We can be persuaded to comply
• Authority figures can compel us to obey
How did cult
leader Jim Jones
convince 900
people to commit
“revolutionary
suicide” in 1978?