Historical Examples of Groupthink.
Groupthink is a negative group dynamic that relates to the pressure to be cohesive
and to conform. Several historic events with far-reaching and devastating
implications have been analyzed and in many cases it’s thought that groupthink
greatly contributed to the decisions that were made.
1. Salem witch trials (1692)
2. Titanic disaster (1912)
3. Pearl Harbor attack (1941)
4. Bay of Pigs invasion (1961)
5. Watergate scandal and cover-up (1972–74)
6. Space shuttle Challenger explosion (1986)
7. Heaven’s Gate cult (1997)
8. Major League Baseball umpire resignations (1999)
9. Enron scandal (2001)
Instructions:
Form a group of 3. Choose one of the above examples and research how
groupthink may have played a role in the event by answering the following:
1) Describe the event:
● What was the situation about? Who was involved? What decision was made?
What went wrong because of that decision?
2) How was groupthink involved:
● How was it a part of the consequences?
● Which groupthink symptoms from our lesson were apparently present?
3) How could groupthink have been avoided:
● Name 2 avoidance strategies from our lesson that could’ve been implemented to
prevent groupthink from happening. **(Remember you’re not trying to find strategies to
prevent the disaster, just trying to stop the decision makers from experiencing groupthink.)
● Make sure your answers would be possible in your scenario. (ie: could your
decision makers actually implement that avoidance strategy?)
● Explain specifics on how the strategy would’ve been used and how it could’ve
changed the outcome.