Groupthink

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 irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness, in a group may produce a tendency among its members to agree at all costs.[1] This causes the group to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation.[2][3]

Groupthink is a construct of social psychology but has an extensive reach and influences literature in the fields of communication studies, political science, management, and organizational theory,[4] as well as important aspects of deviant religious cult behaviour.[5][6]

  1. ^ Leadership Glossary: Essential Terms for the 21st Century. 2015-06-18.
  2. ^ "Organisational behaviour - Docsity". www.docsity.com. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  3. ^ "Groupthink". Ethics Unwrapped. Retrieved 2020-05-27.
  4. ^ Turner, M. E.; Pratkanis, A. R. (1998). "Twenty-five years of groupthink theory and research: lessons from the evaluation of a theory" (PDF). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 73 (2–3): 105–115. doi:10.1006/obhd.1998.2756. PMID 9705798. S2CID 15074397. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-19.
  5. ^ Wexler, Mark N. (1995). "Expanding the groupthink explanation to the study of contemporary cults". Cultic Studies Journal. 12 (1): 49–71. Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference turner1998a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).