Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Groupthink Phenomenon


Well first off, you may be asking yourself, 'What is groupthink?' It's a type of thought exhibited by a group to minimalize conflict and reach consensus without analyzing and evaluating ideas. Mass opinion is a term i like to use. I'll give you an example how i've seen groupthink work in my own life. When i was a sophomore in high school, i started to wear Vans shoes. This was in the midst of everybody still wanting to wear Jordans and Air Force Ones. Me, always wanting to be different, decided to go another route. When i first showed up wearing Vans, people looked at me like 'Wooooow, this guy really has Vans on!' This was at the time where Vans were considered to be 'White people shoes'. I kid you not, about 2 months later, Vans became the new in trend, and you hardly knew somebody who DIDN'T own a pair. This trend was not because of me by the way, it just sorta happened. But i thought to myself 'Wait. What made them White people shoes and ugly last month, but cool today?' I mean, they still LOOKED the same. You gotta understand, PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING because i was wearing Vans. Anyway, this is just a clear cut example of how groupthink works. This same phenomenon applies to so many things and opinions out there. So really take this time to look at everything you like, every opinion that you have, EVERYTHING and ask yourself 'Do i like it because i like it, or do i think this because it's what i truly believe, or because it's what everybody else believes?' Which side of the fence are YOU on?

FACT: 87% of people fall victim to groupthink. Only 13% of the population actually form opinion based on individual thought.

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