Groupthink II

By: Yousuf Ahmed, Rob Bertram, Heather Link, and Emily Gentry.

What is Groupthink?

• Groupthink is a thought that reduces conflicts between group members.

• Stereotyping and rationalizing warnings are some examples.

http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/377/notes/chapt03/index.htm

Groupthink fails!• Groupthink can cause huge

mistakes when the rational reasoning of a group is distorted by the faulty reasoning of an individual

• Groupthink is sometimes known to cause groups to make irrational decisions in order to set aside certain group members doubts.

• The failure of the Groupthink process can be seen in the Chernobyl and Columbia shuttle incidents as well as the Vietnam Escalation http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/hsc4282l.jpg

Emily Gentry

Groupthink in Chernobyl!• In the Chernobyl incident,

those in charged allowed operation under untrained personnel

• Therefore, others did not put any thought into the fact that Chernobyl is a dangerous facility which requires training

• The inexperienced operator failed to take proper precautions and did not have the knowledge to contain the dangerous radiation

www.cesul.org.uk

Emily Gentry

Groupthink in Columbia!• Groupthink applies here

because the engineers in charge of the safety inspections decided that the foam insulation that was shedding was not a large problem and they gave the launch go ahead without fixing the problem first

• The mission was continued because those in charge simply wanted to agree rather than actually taking all elements into consideration

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/images/Columbia05.jpg

Emily Gentry

Groupthink in Vietnam Escalation!• Although everyone did not

agree on the issue, the Johnson administration authorized the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, causing escalation in war measures

• This occurred because those who disagreed with the escalation chose to keep their opinions to themselves in fear of holding up the process and becoming an obstacle for the Johnson administration

http://future.state.gov/educators/lessons/vietnam/

Emily Gentry

Chernobyl• The Chernobyl incident began

when a No. 4 reactor exploded due to poor design by the Soviets as well as incorrect operations. This event marks the only one to have caused deaths by nuclear power flaws. The explosion took place because the operator overrode automatic shutdown mechanisms, which inhibited the flow of coolant.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/in_pictures_chernobyl0s_lost_city/html/9.stm

Chernobyl Cont…• This explosion led to more increasing energy being

released over time. Once the operator discovered the danger they were in, they tried to shut off the reactor, however, a flaw in the design caused the radioactive fuel to be ruptured and an immediate explosion occurred as a massive surge of steam lifted off the protective cover of the lid. The explosion immediately released a large amount of radioactive contents, instantly killing twenty eight people in four months after the explosion. Also the event led to radiation being released which caused many people to have long-term medical problems such as different types of cancers as well as birth defects. In order to avoid similar problems the structure will be replaced in 2011 by a new and improved structure. Although this event is seen as very tragic and memorable is also led to improved safety and precaution associated with nuclear reactors.

Columbia Shuttle• This event took place took place on

February 1, 2003. Fifteen minutes from the expected arrival time of the Columbia shuttle from Florida, it was destroyed over Texas because of a number of malfunctions dealing with temperatures increasing and decreasing. The cause of this terrible disaster was a small piece of foam which was broken away after take-off and struck the left wing. This event took seven of the crew members lives. However, it also taught a lesson dealing with safety and functional designs.

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~hazey/sts85discovery.jpg

Vietnam Escalation• This event took place

simply because of false information being given. American radars detected objects that were said to be torpedo boats getting ready to attack the Gulf of Tonkin. Seeing as this took place the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed three days prior to the objects being spotted. The resolution gave president Johnson power to avoid greater conflict. However, the false information was later proved, the “torpedo ships” were actually birds, weather, or American planes. This false information led the Johnson Administration to make certain decisions that further escalate the war.

http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/vtonk.html

Groupthink in the Groupthink in the creation of Israelcreation of Israel

There was not a lot of thought put into There was not a lot of thought put into the problems that went along with the problems that went along with introducing new religious group in the introducing new religious group in the area that was already dominated by area that was already dominated by different religions, which later resulted in different religions, which later resulted in conflicts. conflicts.

Yousuf Ahmed

Creation of Israel cont.Creation of Israel cont.

• The creation of Israel The creation of Israel heavily depended on heavily depended on the actions of H.V. the actions of H.V. Evatt, the enigmatic Evatt, the enigmatic Australian statesman Australian statesman who served as who served as president of the UN president of the UN General Assembly at General Assembly at the same time of the same time of Israel’s admission to Israel’s admission to the United States. the United States.

http://john.curtin.edu.au/legacyex/foreign.html

Yousuf Ahmed

Sources • Yousuf Ahmed- Marya (2007). Creation of Israel. Retrieved May 28, 2008,

from Marya's global blog Web site: http://maryasglobalblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/creation-of-israel.html

• Yousuf Ahmed- The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, Creation of Israel . Retrieved May 29, 2008, from U.S Department of State Web site: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/cwr/97177.htm

• Emily Gentry- Associated Press(2003). Remains Thought to be from Columbia Crew. CNN.com. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia/.

• Emily Gentry- May 2008. Chernobyl Accident. World Nuclear Association. Retrieved May 28, 2008, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/chernobyl/inf07.html.

• Emily Gentry- Moise, Edwin E (September 12, 2003). Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. Retrieved May 28, 2008, fromhttp://virtual.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/tonkbook.html

In Conclusion…Many events in history have demonstrated the

pros and cons of groupthink. Groupthink allows leaders to negotiate in order to reduce conflict and resolve disagreements. However, groupthink can also stifle the opinions of some individuals in order to satisfy the beliefs of the majority, decreasing the effectiveness of a democracy. Groupthink creates historical events that teach future generations the best way to correctly handle conflict to make the greatest decision.