I know that several of us have written about groupthink in our blogs, but I do think it is one of the most dangerous and intriguing concepts in chapter 7. When I first read this section of the chapter I couldn't help but think about the case of Charles Manson. I'm sure most of you know who this serial killer was, but the unique part about these murders was that they were committed by a group. The leader of the group was Charles Manson, but in my opinion, the members of the group were in the state of groupthink when they decided to carry out some gruesome crimes.
This small group, some would call a cult, experienced several of the symptoms described on page 190. They were so immersed in the group, and its ideology, that they didn't have a sense of reality. They believed that their group goal was more important than anything, and they also held shared stereotypes. I was not a member of the group, so I can't say anything definitively, but it is highly probable that the group experienced a high level of self-censorship and illusion of unanimity. This case may be different because group members may have feared death if they spoke up, yet they also may have feared being outcasted from the group or other sanctions. Although this may be an extreme case of groupthink, I think it illustrates an example of the dangerous effects groupthink can have, and also how powerful it can be over all group members involved.
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I also thought that groupthink was an interesting concept but I didn't think of examples that horrific. I agree that Charles Manson and his followers may have participated in this. It's hard not to think that at least one of them must of thought what they were doing was wrong but were afraid to speak out. It shows the power that a group can have over a person's decisions.
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