On page 258 of Ericsson's The Ways We Lie, she cites Irving Janus's definition of groupthink. Using this definition as a starting point and the video below, find one example of groupthink in history or in the news and analyze it using the eight symptoms of groupthink. Be sure and cite your source. Then, review the other ways of lying that Ericsson categorizes. Provide an example from your own life and argue why you feel that lie was justified or not.
OR
Sykes in his essay The "Values" Wasteland contends that modern education fails to teach morality. Do you agree? Watch the video and do some outside research to argue the point that contemporary schooling blunts or enhances young people's moral sense. In either case, offer convincing examples from your own and other people's schooling to support your point of view. Be sure and cite your source in your post.
Erica's post and sandwich critiques on GroupThink won the award of the week.
groupthink
by Erica Blanco (elblanco) at 1/27/2010 11:42 AM
“A psychological phenomenon within decision-making groups in which loyalty to the group has become more important than any other value; with the result that dissent and the appraisal of alternatives are suppressed.” This is how Irving Janis defines the concept of groupthink.
When I was in high school, I took an AP psychology class, and in this class we learned about groupthink; therefore, I already knew the definition and how it worked. One thing I was not aware of was how hugely it can affect the outcome. The Bay of Pigs Invasion is a great example of groupthink in history. Kennedy’s advisory committee made six different misconceptions about their plan of attack, some of which included that nobody would know that it was the U.S. that was responsible for the attack, that the Cuban army was very small and weak, and also that the Cuban army was so ineffectual that it could just be wiped out. They had the illusion that Cuba was vulnerable and that it would be an easy defeat for them. There was direct pressure to get the job done and overthrow Castro. The majority of people thought it to be a good idea and a full-proof plan and the ones who were a little skeptical just smiled and nodded.
I can remember such simple examples of groupthink throughout my life. When in the classroom and a teacher asks a, “have you ever,” or “do you think,” question and asks for a raise of hands as the answer, in fear of being looked upon differently I waited to see how many people raised their hands first and then raised my hand along with them.
http://department.monm.edu/portfolio/2009portfolios/rpowers/artifacts/Junior_Colloquium_Docs/CATApapers/group%20think%20bay%20of%20pigs.pdf
Re: Nick's Group Think
by Erica at 1/27/2010 11:47 AM
Very good points. I also chose the Bay of Pigs invasion as an example of groupthink. I think that this should be left out of decisions as well, but in reality that seems almost impossible. A lot of people won't ever stand up to people of higher authority or speak out on how they feel if nobody else has stated their opinion. A lot of people think its better to be safe than sorry, and their eyes safe is agreeing with the boss man or with the majority, and sorry is standing up to them and taking the risk of being fired or rejected or even causing another disaster.
Re: Groupthink
by Erica Blanco at 1/27/2010 11:51 AM
You did a good job. It's interesting how such a simple thing can cause such a huge impact. You could have gone a little more in depth with your example, which is a good example by the way. I also use those little white lies all the time! They come in handy but sometimes I do feel bad.
Because we had just finished looking at the 5 criteria for evaluating web pages, I might have asked the students to mention why the source they used was a credible one. Some others in the class went straight to wikipedia for their source for their post. They need to be encouraged to look further.
The other disappointing result of the groupthink question was that many used the Bay of Pigs or Vietnam as their examples from history and didn't specifically refer to the eight symptoms from the essay. In other words, it is possible that some students did not read the essay but only watched the video.
The other thing that the students need to work on is being more critical in their replies to their peers and going beyond anecdotal evidence to agree or disagree. I wanted them to analyze how the writer presented his or her argument. Erica was the only one who made suggestions to her peers.
The other problem is the lack of proofreading for mechanics. Even though I have a discussion forum rubric, most students are using textspeak.
I was pleased with the fact that everyone but two people posted and replied to their peers. Yea!!
I think the assignment regarding if schools teach morals is a very controversial. When I wrote my opinion about it for the discussion forum, I wrote how I believe that elementary schools teach morals but I do not believe that middle schools and high schools teach morals as strictly. But when I went back and read some other people's opinions, it made me change my mind a bit. Some kids went to religious schools which no doubt taught morals, but I went to a public school which did not really enforce morals, but now that I read other people's experiences I am more optimistic about it.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Anderson ^^^^
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that you say that by reading other people's opinions, you were swayed. Was it their evidence or their anecdotes that persuading you a bit?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are optimistic about the future.
This was another enjoyable assignment for me because I am always telling people about how I feel the education system is failing us these days. It seems like every year more and more cost cuts are coming out of our school system. When I was in elementary school I remember the school telling us that we were no longer going to have art class and music class. I feel that classes like those are just as important if not more important to the development of children. These classes help students to find and stick to something they are interested in and/or good at.
ReplyDelete