Lindsay Nelson

Lindsay Nelson

SW 8111

Corey and Corey pg. 144-145

Reflection 11-25

In work groups, camaraderie boosts productivity. Moreover, team spirit is good for morale. This is why developing a cohesive group is essential if the group leader wants the members to accomplish real work. But when making decisions, close-knit groups may pay a price. Groupthink is a mode of thinking that people in a group engage in when a group becomes so cohesive and concurrence seeking that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action (Myers, 2002).

A group leader has to carefully monitor the group’s cohesiveness and consequently the way in which the group thinks as a whole. Rioting is a consequence of groupthink and while mental health professionals may not have to worry a whole lot about their group members starting a riot, they do have to worry about the way in which the group thinks as a whole. According to Myers (2002), there are eight symptoms of groupthink. These include: an illusion of invulnerability, unquestioned belief in the group’s morality, rationalization, stereotyped view of the world, conformity pressure, self-censorship, illusion of unanimity, and mindguards where some members protect the group from information that would call into question the effectiveness or morality of its decisions.

All of these symptoms of groupthink prohibit the group members from making any progress towards the goals set by the group. It is therefore the job of the leader to monitor the group’s cohesiveness to ensure that members still retain their individuality within the group.