"Groupthink", what is it and is it occurring in medicine today?
In 1972 social psychologist Irving Janis developed the term 'Groupthink'. Its a term used to describe suboptimal decisions made by a group due to social pressures. Are we seeing that play out in medicine today?
Let's look at the eight symptoms of groupthink to see if medicine has fallen into this phenomenon. The phenomenon of approaching problems by consensus or group rather than by individuals acting independently. These eight symptoms were identified by Irving Janis.
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Invulnerability - Members of the group share an illusion of invulnerability that creates excess optimism and encourages taking abnormal risks
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Rationale - Victims ignore and discount warnings and negative feedback that may cause the group to reconsider their previous assumptions
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Morality - Victims ignore the ethical and moral consequences of their decisions and believe unquestionably in the morality of their in-group
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Stereotype - Members of the group possess negative and/or stereotypical views of their "enemies"
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Pressure - Victims apply direct pressure to any individual who momentarily expresses concern of doubt. Members are not able to express their own individual arguments against the group.
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Self-censorship - Victims avoid deviating from what the group consensus is and keep quiet
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Illusion of Unanimity - Victims share an illusion of unanimity - that the majority view and judgements of the group are unanimous
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Mind Guards - Victims of groupthink protect the group from information that may be problematic or contradictory to the group's views, decisions, or cohesiveness.
What do you think? Is medicine being victimized by groupthink. Supporting LB422 can help fight back against the groupthink phenomenon.
Want to know some of the more famous groupthink examples; check it out here. You can also read more about groupthink here.
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