Question

Jamie and her friends have spent the whole day together, laughing and celebrating their upcoming graduation from high school. As the day proceeds into evening they reflect on all the teachers they have had. After sharing several stories of particularly strict teacher, they decide they should pull a senior prank, and pour detergent in that teacher’s fuel tank. Egging one another on, they also proceed to commit several acts of minor vandalism to the teacher’s yard and home. Later, when faced with the consequences of their actions—which could potentially include felony charges—the students cannot recall why they thought any of their actions were justifiable or how things went so far. This is an example of:

Answer 1

Jamie and her friends have spent the whole day together, laughing and celebrating their upcoming graduation from high school. As the day proceeds into evening they reflect on all the teachers they have had. After sharing several stories of particularly strict teacher, they decide they should pull a senior prank, and pour detergent in that teacher’s fuel tank. Egging one another on, they also proceed to commit several acts of minor vandalism to the teacher’s yard and home. Later, when faced with the consequences of their actions—which could potentially include felony charges—the students cannot recall why they thought any of their actions were justifiable or how things went so far. This is an example of group think.

Step-by-step explanation:

Groupthink occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgement.

Symptoms of group think include:

• Illusion of invulnerability
• Collective rationalization
• Belief in inherent morality
• Stereotyped views of out-groups
• Direct pressure on dissenters.
• Self-censorship
• Illusion of unanmity