Groupthink

Name

Institutional affiliation

Putting into consideration a “groupthink” moment in my family setting, I noticed several elements of groupthink in that case. Some include the failure to see signs of nearing danger, ignorance of ethical implications of actions taken, pressure into conformation by straying members, and assumption of a unanimous agreement by the group at large (Tubs & Moss, 2012). I was one of the strays pressured into conformation, among several others. The strays seemed to be under the shadow of the eldest members in the family, required to agree to any demands brought to the table without question. As a result, the group required a lot of pushing (especially for the strays) for successful teamwork due to lack of motivation. The communication within the group was mostly by the eldest in the family, with little or no input by the strays. It seemed as if the latter were just there as silent participants. The eldest in the family were the ones mostly involved in sharing their ideas, sentiments, and feedback. The strays would just nod and agree in unison, even when not onboard the idea. Strays would only protest the best way they knew how, that is, through whispers. In the end, the project under discussion failed to take off.

Reference

Tubs, S., & Moss, S. (2012). Human communication: principles and contexts.