Groupthink is one of the obstacles preventing human beings from making rational decisions. The case study under consideration provided by https://essays-writer.net/ aims to examine a group consisting of three people and identify the features of groupthink as well as to provide the recommendations that might be used for fighting this phenomenon.
The Description of the Group. The group under consideration involves three girls. One of them, Sara, is a twenty-one-years-old white American who comes from a middle-income family. Currently, she studies at college for her masters in humanitarian studies. Sara tries to follow the dogmas of Christianity and is in good terms with her family members. Another girl is Brenda; she is a twenty-two-years-old white American who hails from an upper-class family. She studies medicine at one of the nearby colleges. The girl usually avoids contact with people of different social classes. She is on good terms with her family members, too. Finally, the third girls name is Alison. She is a twenty-three-year-old law student. Alison comes from an upper-class family and just as Brenda; she avoids interactions with people from different social backgrounds. Alison lives on her own and currently keeps in contact with all her family members.
The Case. The group in question demonstrates the influence of groupthink in the following ways. All of them agree that they should avoid contact with immigrants, illegals, the people with different ethnic and racial background as they might present certain threats. The girls reluctantly talk with students of different social classes. Usually, they tend to follow each other during shopping, studying, and other activities. Their circle is closed for those who are not similar to them. Sometimes, they might demonstrate non-respectful attitudes towards the representatives of minorities or other cultures. They distrust the outsiders because they do not understand them and try to reinforce the moral supremacy of their class.
The Analysis of the Case. As Golkar asserts, 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 incorrect or deviant decision-making outcome. At the same time, Myers and Twenge observe that groupthink as a phenomenon might refer to many behavioral patterns caused by a range of reasons. It should be admitted that the presented case definitely demonstrates the effects of groupthink shared by all three members. The stereotypes and bias which are common for all three girls prevent them from making the right decisions regarding the people they meet. Such a group obviously makes irrational decisions trying to avoid people with the diverse social backgrounds and dehumanizes others by making false moral judgments. The girls are rather selfish as well as discriminative in the treatment of others. Obviously, the groupthink in this case, has grown out of the similar background shared by all girls as well as their lifestyles and habits.
Recommendations for the Groupthink Avoidance. The presented case is rather complicated since all the three girls have similar backgrounds and are dependent on the same stereotypes and fears. Therefore, to fight the influence of groupthink in this case, all the members of the group should agree to accept the new paradigm of social acceptance and treat others as equal member of the society. Another initiative that might be undertaken by each member is to leave the group and revise personal attitudes towards others and the reasons behind such behavior. Moreover, they might attempt to make their group more diverse and include representatives of the same social class but different origins. In such a way, the girls will break some of the stereotypes that currently guide their behaviors. However, it should be stressed that the members of the group are unlikely to change their approach since they surround themselves with like-minded people.
