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TopOverview Of The Groupthink Model
Groupthink is defined as the extreme concurrence seeking exhibited by decision making groups (Janis, 1972, 1982). Janis hypothesized that groupthink is likely to occur when a group is facing situations involving crisis or extreme stress and when the group has a configuration of antecedent characteristics.
These include low esteem stemming from the belief that a better solution other than that supported by the leader or other influential people can not be found, high group cohesion, limited search and appraisal of decision alternatives, and a highly directive group leader. Consequently, groups develop extreme concurrence seeking and exhibit what Janis termed the symptoms of groupthink. These include the illusion of invulnerability, collective rationalization, stereotyping of outgroups, mindguards (members who function to suppress dissent in the group), and the unshakeable belief in the morality of the group, its processes, and its decisions.
As a result, the decision making process adopted by the group is characterized by suboptimal procedures, or defective decision making symptoms, such as poor information search, selective processing of information including favoring information that bolsters the group’s preferred solution, as well as an extremely truncated appraisal of decision alternatives. The combined forces are hypothesized to result in extremely poor decision making performance by the group.