Often a test of
ethics will come from membership in a group, whether at the workplace, home, or
school. Each group has its own personality, derived from the combination of
people in it. By sharing their goals and identities, people, in return, receive
a feeling of security and comfort from the group. However, there will be times
when what a person thinks is right runs counter to what the group wants.
Some groups can work
to the detriment of the individual. Psychologist and researcher Beatrice
Schultz wrote, “A group can hold power over us if we find it attractive enough
to want to be a member.” When this develops, “groupthink” among the members will
often occur, unless the members encourage nonconformity. Without any debate, group
members will often coalesce into a tight unit. As it becomes incapable of
making moral judgments, the decision making ability of the group deteriorates.
The University of
Pittsburg’s student site on the dynamics of small groups lists several symptoms
of groupthink. “The group overestimates its power. Often times a group can
believe that their cause is right and that nothing can go wrong with their
plan.” Moreover, groupthink leads to an extraordinary degree of over-optimism
and risk taking by the group. Groupthink pressures the individuals to conform,
and discourages them from having doubts. Silence then becomes consent.
Contributing to
groupthink is the “Phenomenon of Group Polarization,” which is “people in
groups become more extreme in their point of view.” The “Risky Shift
Phenomenon” states that “In the group, they are likely to make riskier
decisions as the shared risk makes the individual risk less.” Because of this,
“decisional stress” may occur. When a group is forced to make an important
decision, the individuals within the group will feel insecure. Therefore the group
members will reduce their stress by making decisions quickly with as little
dissension as possible.
I have had experiences
with groupthink. At one time, a gang took up residence in my garden condo
complex. Because they believed that the police were ineffective, my neighbors
were reluctant to call the m. Moreover, they also did not want to be a target
for the gang. Furthermore, my neighbors thought that I was insane for wanting
to go to the police to stop the gang. I was caught between keeping the social
order and having relations with my neighbors.
In the case history
of Heather and John, their Neo-Pagan group, the Silver Stars, was in the habit
of casting spells. Their spells usually focused on “the greater good” such as
ending wars or obtaining social justice. This gave the group a sense of moral
righteousness. Recently, the Silver Stars decided to end the reign of terror of
a serial killer in their area by doing a group spell.
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