Group Think vs Critical Thinking

8/8/2019 Group Think vs Critical Thinking

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The Phenomenon of Group Think

I live in a perpetual motion of group activity. It is how I sustain my sobriety, through

the fellowship and close connection to my twelve-step group.

This social experiment is much like a Petri dish filled with a nutritious culture togrow stuff. Everything happens, every personality type with the full range of mental

health, cultural sophistication and social etiquette.

Recently, I began to notice how susceptible even the most independent andeducated of us can be to the subtle pressure of the group.

I first became aware of it among my female friends. I dont think my friends are un-

enlightened or mean-spirited; I believe they are good people who try to help one

another to the best of their ability. But I also intuitively feel that they wereunconsciously following a lead from a societal pressure, one that has merit and often

applies.

I had a situation where one of these women told me she was dating my then-newly-

affianced boyfriend, five days after we became engaged. I was horrified. I spoke with

some of the women in the group who assured me that I would best be served if I

moved on. They felt he was trouble, though they had no direct experience of that

throughout the years. Most did not know him personally. Yet their counsel was so

strong and seemed so logical that I went with it, despite the fact that my heart and

intuition were telling me otherwise

There were a lot of subsequent conversations trying to talk me out of my turmoil, to

no avail. I was rendered obsessed with my dilemma, thinking I should talk it overwith him. They told me not to contact him, and to move on.

Finally, one woman stood out of the crowd. She said that the woman who hadprofessed that they were dating was a little weird, maybe crazy.

That was actually my first impression. I mean, could it be that she mistook his

genuine concern for more than just a friendly interest? Being that he is a person

who spends enormous time helping others intensely, that was my first call.

Finally, I went outside the group and called, and when we met, I was ashamed that I

had not listened to my own intuition. That could have been an irreparable damage,but it was resolved.

I since have paid attention very carefully.

I believe in that last election the catchy phrase, Hope and change, inspired a group-

think mentality that surpassed reason. Whatever it did, its lost its wheels in the

reality of economic despair, the health care bill and the failed bailouts.



Though there are many who are true believers, who will never recognize a failed

policy or candidate, the majority of Americans are now moving away from the

mythology. Reality has hit.

But watch. It threads its way into the social consciousness in a meandering way and

infects people who are politically unaware or challenged. When Jay Leno begins tomake fun of the president - that is the line; once crossed, it is embarrassing for

anyone who disagrees and is a true believer.

Look at how that happened with the tea party or Sara Palin; so much of what hasbeen said about these things has been pure imagination, but it crossed over the line.

You have to be a true believer to go public with your views if you like Palin or the

tea party, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on. You have to be surrounded by

like-minded individuals.

But it is especially obvious in schools, where bullying and social cliques are such a

strong influence on young hearts and minds. Weve all been there; we all know it when we see it. Its unfair, mean-spirited and cruel.

The alternative is difficult; it requires a strong constitution and good critical

thinking skills. Yet the alternative is the moral high road. The alternative is not to

judge without good reason and to be willing to change your conclusion in the face of

good evidence to the contrary. The alternative to is to be a tabula rasa with each

topic, each issue.

If our culture would uphold the skills of critical reasoning over group think, if the

cultural perspective changed, much would change in our culture. Political spin

would lose its power. Advertising would lose its allure.

Guess what, though? The Internet is an anecdote, because it is the true voice of the

people. The entire spectrum of ideas is there for the taking. We are no longersubjected to the single drumbeat of social order.

Let us look, for example, at the state of medicine. The standard treatment for cancer

is cut and poison; surgery and chemo/radiation therapy. For the majority of us, it is

frightening to move outside the realm of that secure tradition with alternativehealing and dietary changes. That is the established notion.

But maybe, just maybe, in some cases, the old cut and poison technique is ineffectivemost of the time. It leaves the patient with little time to live and a compromised

immune system that is too weak to do the living left.

To discover what other people are doing or going through, a person can find a

million Internet sites and network, blog, and share with people across the world.



Maybe, just maybe it is worth critical scrutiny to see if there is a combination of

ways to kill cancer by changing a diet to rob it of nutrients? Is that possible? I dont

know.

But my closest person is trying. And I respect that because it against the wisdom of

the many but thoroughly within the wisdom of his heart.

His heart is, after all, the only one that matters; it is his mind that is doing the

research, not theirs. It is simply not their disease.

(I am in no way making a single recommendation.) I have no idea what I would do if

it were I.

These considerations run the gamut of the human experience, from life and death

decision-making to political consensus, to how we counsel our fellows. It is aharrowingly independent road that requires thought and consideration. It can lead

the individual down a lonely path, but a path of courage.

Critical thinking is the way of a higher consciousness. It means that you must live

outside the pack because you do not always agree with the group wisdom; but you

live inside your own truth. It is the way of a warrior.

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Group Think vs Critical Thinking