Jun 20, 2006
Groupthink is "the act or practice of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially when characterized by uncritical acceptance or conformity to prevailing points of view." I first learned this term in a psychology class in college. It was new to me, but I quickly understood its meaning and relevance.
I'm in a lot of groups in life. At work, I'm on integrated product teams. I take grad classes, so I have to do group projects. But most importantly and most significantly, I'm in a lot of Bible studies and other similar Christian groups. The thing with these kinds of groups is that they're full of lackluster Christians who don't have much of an opinion about anything and hardly want to be there in the first place (that's not always the case, but that's often what it looks like). When it comes time for the group to make a decision, it's often tedious and drawn-out, and often ends with a forced suggestion by the leaders of the group. But one thing I've found is that when an idea is suggested, it's often selected by default. Since no other options are presented, the group goes with the only one on the table, even if it's ridiculous and nobody really likes it or agrees with it. "Let's all drink some Kool-Aid and jump off that bridge." Any other ideas? No? Ok, we'll go with that one. In groups like this, a single person can have a lot of influence because they often encounter no opposition. #religion
I'm in a lot of groups in life. At work, I'm on integrated product teams. I take grad classes, so I have to do group projects. But most importantly and most significantly, I'm in a lot of Bible studies and other similar Christian groups. The thing with these kinds of groups is that they're full of lackluster Christians who don't have much of an opinion about anything and hardly want to be there in the first place (that's not always the case, but that's often what it looks like). When it comes time for the group to make a decision, it's often tedious and drawn-out, and often ends with a forced suggestion by the leaders of the group. But one thing I've found is that when an idea is suggested, it's often selected by default. Since no other options are presented, the group goes with the only one on the table, even if it's ridiculous and nobody really likes it or agrees with it. "Let's all drink some Kool-Aid and jump off that bridge." Any other ideas? No? Ok, we'll go with that one. In groups like this, a single person can have a lot of influence because they often encounter no opposition. #religion
Somehow I doubt this, partially because drinking & drunkenness is mostly fun. For me, I wasn't a victim of groupthink. I'm usually one of those people who say something during those awkward pauses in a group being asked for a decision. I almost can't stand the silence and the fact that no one seems to be thinking anything! Anyway...that's not totally what this post is about. A part of me sort of agrees with the groupthink idea for Americans. Unfortunately, we're not known for our knowledge on important subjects. If an average American is asked what they think about some political issue, I'm sure there won't be much of a discussion. Now if asked what they think of Brangelina's new baby, I'm sure a hearty discussion would ensue. So my point here is that Americans, in general, are victims of groupthink and this can somehow factor into a personal decision about not drinking as a Christian.