Final answer:
Groupthink is characterized by a d) group's decision-making process becoming homogenous, often leading to extreme decisions and stifling creativity. It arises from a high degree of cohesiveness within the group and authoritative leadership. Strategies to avoid it include encouraging diverse opinions and critical thinking through private voting and withholding leaders' opinions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Groupthink is best described by the following option: d. A phenomenon that occurs when people working together become homogenous in their decision-making process. This definition encompasses the concept where members of a group modify their opinions to align with what they perceive as the group consensus, which often leads to more extreme decisions than those made by individuals. These groups exhibit symptoms such as perceiving the group as invulnerable, believing their moral superiority, self-censorship among members, an illusion of unanimity, and suppressing dissenting viewpoints.
The occurrence of groupthink can be attributed to factors such as a strong desire for group cohesion, authoritative leadership that discourages disagreement, and the isolation of the group from outside viewpoints. Creativity and critical thinking are often stifled as a result, leading to a consensus that may not accurately represent individual opinions within the group. Strategies to avoid groupthink include seeking outside opinions, encouraging private voting, and leaders withholding their opinions until all group members have spoken, in order to foster a diverse range of viewpoints and better decision-making.
Lastly, it is important to distinguish groupthink from related concepts like group polarization, where the group's prevailing attitude intensifies after discussion. Groupthink specifically involves conformity to a perceived common viewpoint, often at the cost of individual creativity and critical assessment.