Groupthink Research Articles

‘I’m not sick!…Are you?’ Groupthink in police services as a barrier to collecting mental health data

Despite the high prevalence of mental disorders among Canadian police officers, treatment-seeking is lower than expected. Toward understanding how mental health services can be tailored for higher utilization by police, we aim to uncover factors that contribute to stigma and barriers to use, specifically within the context of group dynamics between officers. Nine semi-structured focus groups and one interview were conducted with civilian and non-civilian police service employees in Ontario, Canada. Data were coded to allow for themes to emerge from the transcripts. Participant voices ( n=33) revealed the presence of three characteristics of Janis’ groupthink: high group cohesion, conditions that create high stress and low self-esteem, and operating under directive leadership; each creating pressures that serve as barriers to treatment-seeking [Janis IL (1972) Victims of Groupthink: A Psychological Study of Foreign-Policy Decisions And Fiascoes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin]. Groupthink offers a potential explanation about why police, despite a high prevalence of mental disorders and access to mental health services, do not seek treatment as expected. Janis’s theory of groupthink is supported by police officer dialogue in focus groups. Understanding police group interactions can better inform prevention and treatment programs, ultimately leading to better access and use of existing mental health services, a reduction in stigma associated with treatment-seeking, and a healthier police workforce.

The universal particularism of panta ta ethne: A biblical case for the continued viability of the people group concept in mission

This article is a partial response to Lee and Park’s 2018 contribution to Missiology, “Beyond people group thinking: A critical reevaluation of unreached people groups,” and focuses on the meaning of panta ta ethne in Matthew 28:19. The author does not agree that Matthew had in mind primarily “Gentiles in distinction from Jews,” although that is indeed a common meaning of the phrase in the New Testament. Interpreting ethne as “Gentiles” obscures the dimension of particularism inherent in the way humanity is described in Scripture (as parts not just a whole). By contrast, the author submits that ethne as “nations” or “people groups” better displays this particularism of all people as they exist in diverse human groupings. The author takes a step back from Matthew 28 and first gives an overview of the way human grouping (particularism) is understood in the Old and New Testaments. He then highlights the way New Testament authors appropriated Old Testament promises related to the “nations,” showing their comprehension and continuation of that Old Testament understanding. The article then deals with the exegetical issues related to Matthew 28:19 and concludes by urging refinement of the people group concept, rather than replacement.

Irving Janis의 집단사고(Groupthink) 이론을 통해 본 소련의 아프가니스탄 침공 결정

1979년 발발한 소련-아프가니스탄 전쟁은 종종 역사의 총체적 관점에서 의미를 찾을 때, 거대한 소련식 공산주의 체계의 소멸과 냉전의 종식을 설명하는 중요한 사건으로 논의된다. 소련은 전체주의 영향력 안에서 일어나는 개별국가의 자율적 선택권을 집단체제의 일탈행위로 간주하였는데, 이는 전통적인 마르크스-레닌주의 용어(Marxist-Leninist terms)로서는 설명할 수 없는 일국사회주의에 대한 불안정한 개념으로 아프가니스탄에 대한 침공 결정을 해석하는 방식으로 충분하지 못하다. 이 연구는 아프가니스탄 침공에 대한 소련의 정치적·군사적 선택에 대한 설명을 위해 브레즈네프 독트린(Brezhnev Doctrine)을 중심으로 소련에 귀속된 이념적 사고와의 연관성을 찾고자 함에 그 목적이 있다. 특히 이 글은 Irving Janis가 제시한 집단사고(groupthink) 이론을 바탕으로 소련 지도부의 의사결정 과정을 분석하고자 하는데, 이는 지적이고 경험이 풍부한 지도자일지라도 집단의 환경에 따라 오히려 결함 있는 정책을 구현할 수 있다는 내용이기 때문이다. 실제로 소련의 아프가니스탄 침공은 1970년대 초 진행되던 미국과의 우호적 분위기와 군비관리의 틀을 구축하기 위한 데탕트(détente)정책 추진에 심각한 의문을 불러일으켰으며, 왜 그들은 전쟁 개입에 대한 국제정치적 위험성을 심각하게 과소평가했을까? 라는 질문에 대한 답이 요구된다. 결국 집단사고 이론에 비추어 본 소련의 아프가니스탄 침공 결정은 소련지도부만의 집단응집성과 다양성을 포기한 일치성에 대한 압력, 그리고 결함있는 의사력의 추진으로 나타난 실패한 정책으로 도출된다.

Why People Stand By

Bystander effect is the phenomenon that describes how, when more people are around, each individual is less likely to intervene. While the bystander effect is an integral part of studying social behaviors and group thinking, the many caveats it presents itself with must be considered. Every situation differs based on location, people, and circumstance, so the idea of the bystander effect is not valid in every scenario, as evidenced by the various counter-examples and contradictory findings researchers have discovered. However, the bystander effect is still very important to study because understanding what encourages/prevents people from helping is critical to decrease the effect of the bystander effect to promote helping behavior. In this paper, we discuss the various factors that affect the prevalence of the bystander effect: perceived physical and social harm to the helper, responsibility diffusion, and perceived helpfulness.

Numerical lists of foundational knowledge in early Chinese and early Buddhist traditions

Abstract In this paper, I compare the material in the Pāli canon of Theravada Buddhism, a textual tradition famous for the abundance of numerical lists, with certain chapters of the Yi Zhou shu 逸周書 and chapter “Hong fan” 洪範 of the Shang shu 尚書, where numerical lists are equally important. I propose a classification of the insufficiently studied numerical lists in the Yi Zhou shu and point out the divergences in them, suggesting that they were produced by competing communities that developed slightly discordant systems of knowledge. I compare the evolution of complex frameworks of numerical lists in the Buddhist traditions and in early China, arguing that both created comprehensive systems of knowledge-practice out of simpler lists. The peculiar form of numerical lists as vehicles of systematised knowledge-practice attested in both cultures may have originated in hierarchical communities with indisputable knowledge authority. Such communities are known to have existed in early Buddhism, and they have convincing parallels in China’s contemporary political practice, where numerical lists are used to unify the patterns of thinking and behaviour in hierarchical groups.

A REVIEW OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION ORIENTATION AMONG MALAY WORKERS TOWARDS SILENCE BEHAVIOUR TENDENCY

This article discusses the review of the concept of culture, value, and belief in the Malay community. The focus is on the Malay workers working in a German organisation in Malaysia. Previous studies show that there are communication and cultural gaps when workers from various races and countries working in a multinational organisation. Asian communities mainly Malay, practices collective values such as cooperation among members, care about others' dignities and, silence due to some factors which indirectly affect communication orientation while working with other races. These practices are different from the European community who observes individualistic values. Typically, the Malays work together in voicing opinions or maintaining long-term relationships. In this article, the authors discuss the groupthink theory, which may influence the workers' behaviours in organisations and decision making.

The Devil's Arbitrator

In recent years, the age-old practice of parties appointing own arbitrators to tribunals has come under attack by those who claim that party-appointed arbitrators inject bias into a tribunal that is supposed to be impartial. Various empirical studies seem to have confirmed the uncomfortable contradiction between the rhetoric of impartiality and the purportedly biased conduct of party-appointed arbitrators. These empirical claims, however, only seem shocking if we ignore the insights of Legal Realism. Some forms of bias or extra-legal factors are inevitable in legal decisionmaking as an inescapable consequence of law’s inherent indeterminacy. If some forms of bias are inevitable, the key inquiry is not whether bias exists, but more nuanced questions: Which forms of bias are legitimate? Who decides which forms of bias are legitimate? And, How do we police the boundary between legitimate and illegitimate forms of bias? This Article answers those questions with respect to party-appointed arbitrators. It begins by reconceptualizing their inter-relational role in light of Irving Janis’ theory of Groupthink and his proposed solution, the Devil’s Advocate. In this reconceptualized role, party-appointed arbitrators serve a legitimate function by ensuring representativeness, providing a check against tribunal decisional shortcuts, and counterbalancing the opposing party-appointed arbitrator. This reconceptualized role portends specific impartiality obligations that are both more conceptually and normatively coherent and more consistent with demonstrated expectations and existing practices.

Kohesivitas Pada Kelompok Jamaah Tabligh

The Jamaah Tabligh is a very unique group in their da’wah efforts involving each member of the group. This study aims to find out how the cohesiveness of such a group by studying the Jamaah Tabligh in Mesjid Cot Goh, Gampong Lamme Garot, Aceh Besar. The theory used in this study is the theory of Groupthink by focusing on the concept of cohesiveness. This study used a descriptive qualitative method. Data collection techniques were carried out using structured interviews on five members of the Tabligh Jamaah and participatory observation. The results showed a high level of individual cohesiveness within the Jamaah Tabligh group measured by four dimensions of cohesiveness including social strength, unity in groups, attractiveness and group collaboration. The cohesiveness was based on the similarity of purpose in da'wah. This cohesiveness has indicated the symptoms of groupthink that appeared in deliberation for decision making in the group.

Developing Critical Thinking Among Inter-Level Students of Bannu Through Dialogic Pedagogy

The aim of the study is to explore the role of dialogic teaching, based on Bakhtin's concept of 'Dialogism', in developing critical thinking among students of intermediate level in District Bannu. The experimental research design was used in the study. Data was collected from the pre and post-tests of an experimental study, which was carried out on the 12th grade class of a public sector college. For this purpose, a pretest-posttest control group design was selected. In this design, the control group and treatment group were administered pre and posttests, but treatment was provided to the treatment group only. The test was designed to assess the critical thinking of the treatment group. The data from an experimental study was analyzed through paired sample t-test. The mean value of the difference between post-test and pretest of the treatment group is 7.16129, which indicates that the performance of the treatment group improved significantly, proving the positive role of dialogic teaching.

Terraplanismo, Ludwik Fleck e o mito de Prometeu

Objetivamos, nesse trabalho, analisar o movimento terraplanista com a utilização do referencial oferecido pela teoria do conhecimento de Ludwik Fleck (1896-1961). O terraplanismo é um fenômeno social que pode ser associado à problemática da chamada “pós-verdade”. A crença de que a Terra é plana e de que o conhecimento científico construído historicamente a esse respeito está errado vem, aparentemente, crescendo no Brasil e no mundo. Um reflexo disso foi a realização, no final de 2019 em São Paulo, da primeira Convenção Nacional da Terra Plana. Tomando como base os discursos proferidos nas diversas palestras ocorridas durante esse evento, esse trabalho, de cunho qualitativo, buscou identificar elementos característicos do pensamento desse grupo. Por meio da análise das notas de campo de observação, identificou-se um conjunto prévio de seis características do discurso terraplanista, detalhadas no corpo do trabalho. Em seguida, procedeu-se à análise desse material a partir do referencial oferecido pela epistemologia de Fleck. Especificamente, os conceitos fleckianos de estilo de pensamento, coletivo de pensamento, circulação intracoletiva e intercoletiva de ideias, círculos esotérico e exotérico, acoplamentos ativo e passivo, harmonia das ilusões e protoideias mostraram-se úteis na caracterização e interpretação do movimento terraplanista. Ao final, tecemos algumas reflexões que, a nosso ver, deveriam ser objeto de atenção da área de ensino de ciências/física no que diz respeito a essa temática, em particular, a necessidade de estarmos atentos a esse fenômeno social, problematizando-o. Defendemos que um ensino crítico da ciência e o respeito a pontos de vista diversos aos cientificamente aceitos não deve implicar em uma desvalorização do pensamento científico.

Co-relation between tadvidhsambhasha and cooperative learning – a teaching methodology

Teaching and learning are two sides of a coin. Every faculty education stands upon two pillar teaching and learning similarly Ayurveda too. In present era in Ayurveda learning is teacher centring method which is called as faculty teaching. This method of teaching discouraging everyone. In faculty teaching every student is not take part in learning process. It discourages student’s curiosity, questioning, innovation, and feedback. Most of the ayurvedic institution using teacher centring method for teaching. Opposite to this now a days to enhance the teaching process there are different methodology are put forward like cooperative learning, collaborative learning, and competitive learning. Cooperative learning is student centring method and focused on group accountability, social skill and thinking which is necessary for successful Vaidya. In Charaksamhita also it is mentioned that Tadvidhsambhasha is best for enhancing our knowledge. Which means discussion with vaidys for curing patient .which can be achieved by cooperative learning. So here the study is about correlation of cooperative learning with ancient methods mentioned in ayurvedic samhita and implication of cooperative learning in ayurvedic teaching.

Novel Information Discovery and Collaborative Filtering to Support Group Creativity

Teams that innovate encounter challenges in divergent and convergent thinking processes related to the need to: 1) leverage diverse internal and external knowledge, and 2) produce something that is both novel and valuable. Integrating the extant literature, we describe these challenges and propose a new approach to solving issues related to divergent and convergent thinking in groups in an innovation context. Specifically, we design group processes to support divergent and convergent thinking, including the use of several information technology (IT) tools to support them: 1) a novel-information discovery tool to foster computer-supported divergent thinking and sensemaking, and 2) a collaborative-filtering tool to foster computer-supported convergent thinking and sensegiving. Findings indicate that the novel-information discovery tool increases efficiency and effectiveness in the divergent thinking process and that the collaborative-filtering tool supports convergent thinking by focusing the group's attention on ideas that might otherwise be neglected. Combining these two IT tools with group processes for divergent and convergent thinking has important implications for both research and practice.

A Co-orientation Analysis of Producers’ and Environmentalists’ Mental Models of Water Issues: Opportunities for Improved Communication and Collaboration

ABSTRACT Agricultural producers and environmentalists have a mutual interest in maintaining healthy water resources; yet communication and collaboration on sustainability measures can be impeded by perceptions of incompatible water ethics. Here we apply the co-orientation model to qualitatively and quantitatively compare cross-group perspectives and composite maps of stakeholders’ mental models to understand how each group thinks about water challenges and each other. Results suggest that experiential differences yield seemingly incompatible perceptions of producers’ part in the degradation of regional water supplies. While sampled producers’ operational-level perspectives allow them a first-hand view of individual stewardship practices, sampled environmentalists’ macro-level perspectives highlight the environmental conditions that result from the agricultural industry as a whole. When collective agricultural impact does not reflect individual stewardship efforts, producers and environmentalists can have strikingly different perceptions of the problem – a potential barrier to cross-group communication. Research findings suggest frames, topics, and word choices that can help communicators bridge the cognitive divide between stakeholder groups.

Brexit: Who is afraid of group attachment? Part II. Democracy: what democracy?

Through group thinking and thorough research, this article critically examines the democratic quality of the June 2016 UK referendum on EU membership. The Brexit ‘mandate’ is based on 52% of the voters but just 26% of the UK population. On a rigorous scrutiny, the referendum failed key tests on democratic legitimacy, such as human rights and the definition of the franchise. The UK Referendum Act 2015 excluded 3.3 million settled EU citizens from the franchise, which cast serious doubts: the political and legal status of common EU citizenship conferred by EU Treaties (based on equality and non-discrimination on grounds of nationality) was disregarded by the UK and by the EU. The article concludes that a democracy which intentionally excludes and marginalizes a whole group within its own political community is not legitimate enough.

Group-level resistance to health mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic: A groupthink approach.

Public health interventions, such as mandated vaccinating or quarantining during an epidemic, are necessary to limit the spread of communicable diseases, but in many cases, certain groups resist these initiatives For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, antiquarantine groups protested the mandate to socially distance and remain at home, claiming these directives violated their right to assemble, travel, and work The current analysis examined media descriptions of these antiquarantine groups to determine if these groups' divergent responses to a legally and medically warranted health initiative resulted from groupthink: the deterioration of judgment and rationality that sometimes occurs in groups In support of this possibility, accounts of these groups indicated that (a) the conditions that cause groupthink, including high levels of cohesion and isolation, were present and potent within these groups and that (b) the groups exhibited many of the symptoms of groupthink, including group illusions and pressures to conform Given the ubiquity of these groups-for centuries, public health interventions have generated opposing antiregulation reactions-no amount of planning may be sufficient to prevent such groups However, a theory-driven approach based on groupthink suggests that group-level interventions that directly address the processes that cause groupthink, such as isolation, conformity pressure, and cohesion, could reduce the influence of such groups on their members and on society (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Highlights and Implications-*Groups that protest public health interventions that mandate vaccinating or quarantining during an epidemic may be experiencing groupthink: the deterioration of judgment and rationality that sometimes occurs in highly cohesive groups *The group-level processes that are associated with groupthink, such as high levels of cohesion and isolation, were in evidence in the antiquarantine groups that protested medical directives during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 *Group-level interventions that limit groupthink in such groups could reduce the number of individuals who take part in group activities that are inconsistent with legally and medically warranted health initiatives *Groupthink theory provides a general explanation for decision-making in groups, but additional research is needed to determine the validity of the extension of this theory to groups that engage in unusual actions, such as health protests (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

What matters in design? Cultivating undergraduates’ critical thinking through online peer assessment in a Confucian heritage context

Online peer assessment has been proposed as an effective strategy for cultivating critical thinkers in higher education, but there is a dearth of relevant studies in a Confucian heritage context. This study investigated the effects of online peer assessment in a General Education course on the development of critical thinking among Hong Kong undergraduates, with a design characterised by six elements (i.e. online peer assessment training, provision of guiding questions, peer feedback requirements, anonymity, student evaluation of the usefulness of peer feedback and summative use of online peer assessment). Analysis of the participants’ e-journal entries revealed a significant improvement in critical thinking in the experimental groups. Individual follow-up interviews indicated that the participants acknowledged online peer assessment design with the consideration of cultural influence and at the same time made some suggestions for refinement. This study highlights the need to adopt a culturally embedded approach to design online peer assessment to cultivate students’ critical thinking in non-western contexts.

Approaching the mountain: A journey into the wilderness of large group thinking

Although the large group is a mandatory part of the Institute of Group Analysis London Qualifying Course, its history and theory have been absent from the curriculum. This fringe status can be seen as a reflection of the challenge the large group offers the analyst—trainee and practitioner alike. It exposes structures of power, reveals issues around race and gender, and brings historical trauma to light. The question is, are we willing to look within? My ‘journey into the wilderness’ is a step towards an answer. As such, this article is framed as field research, focusing on the lived experience of the large group, as well as revisiting its past. It moves between two paradigms of practice—developmental large groups in training institutes and discrete large groups at conferences—and seeks to define the purpose of this ritual, as well as set new ground lines for ethical practice. Through the use of large group material, I trace the theoretical language of koinonia, fellowship, dialogue, outsight and equivalence, and exemplify learnings around the mechanisms of projective processes. I suggest that a projection must be felt before it can be returned, but in such a multi-person setting, ‘countertransference’ does not do this work of integration justice. Finally, I address containment and introduce the concept of reverie/participation. Through this model the large group grants us an experience of embeddedness, and awakens our responsibility for the challenges of history making, and social change.

Avoid ‘Group Think’ In Creative Process

Avoid ‘Group Think’ In Creative Process

Computational Quantum Chemical Explorations of Chemical/Material Space for Efficient Electrocatalysts

Computational quantum chemistry can play a critical role not only justifying but guiding the atomic scale design of electrocatalysts. This article gives a cursory overview of how our group thinks about computational screening for hypothetical catalyst sites that would be suitable for energetically efficient shuttling of protons, electrons, and/or hydrides. I will explain how computational electrocatalysis models can used to search through systems of hypothetical reaction pathways, to determine which electrochemical conditions of pH and applied potential are most suitable for minimizing overpotentials, and then how to use alchemical perturbation approximations to rapidly screen through wide ranges of chemical/materials space to identify novel catalyst sites and design principles that warrant further study by experiment.

Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter

Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter