Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and FiascoesGroupthink - the psychological drive for consensus at any cost that suppresses disagreement and prevents the appraisal of alternatives in cohesive decision-making groups. In the first edition (Victims of groupthink), Iriving L. Janis showed how this phenomenon contributed to some of the major U.S. foreign policy fiascos of recent decades: the Korean War stalemate, the escalation of the Vietnam War, the failure to be prepared for the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Bay of Pigs blunder. He also examined cases, such as the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the formulation of the Marshall Plan, where groupthink was avoided. Here, in this revised and expanded edition, Janis applies his hypothesis to the Watergate cover-up, portraying in detail how groupthink helped to put the participants on a disastrous couurse and keep them there. In addition, he presents some fresh ideas on how and why groupthink occurs and offers suggestions for avoiding it. |
From inside the book
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Page 38
In the formal sessions dealing with the Cuban invasion plan, the group's
consensus that the basic features of the CIA plan should be adopted was
relatively free of disagreement. According to Sorensen, "No strong voice of
opposition was ...
In the formal sessions dealing with the Cuban invasion plan, the group's
consensus that the basic features of the CIA plan should be adopted was
relatively free of disagreement. According to Sorensen, "No strong voice of
opposition was ...
Page 246
search and appraisal that counteract collective uncritical thinking and | premature
consensus. When appropriate precautions are taken, a group that has become
moderately or highly cohesive probably can do a much better job on its ...
search and appraisal that counteract collective uncritical thinking and | premature
consensus. When appropriate precautions are taken, a group that has become
moderately or highly cohesive probably can do a much better job on its ...
Page 264
Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes Irving Lester Janis. him.
Having lost the opportunity at the outset to steer the group, an inflexible chief
might fight with the others, reject their consensus, or disband the group entirely.
Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes Irving Lester Janis. him.
Having lost the opportunity at the outset to steer the group, an inflexible chief
might fight with the others, reject their consensus, or disband the group entirely.
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Contents
Why So Many Miscalculations? | 2 |
The Bay of Pigs | 14 |
Or Why the Fortress Slept | 72 |
Copyright | |
3 other sections not shown
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Common terms and phrases
Acheson administration Admiral Kimmel advisers advisory group Allen Dulles alternative American assumptions attack avoid Bay of Pigs bombing Castro Chiefs of Staff Chinese cohesive group Communist concurrence-seeking consensus course of action critical Cuba Cuban missile crisis danger Dean Defense deliberations discussion effect Ehrlichman enemy evidence Executive Committee expected fiasco forces group dynamics groupthink hypothesis groupthink syndrome groupthink tendencies Haldeman Hawaii Ibid illusion in-group inner circle invasion plan issues Japanese John Dean Johnson Joint Chiefs judgment Kennan Kennedy's leader major Marshall Marshall Plan McNamara meetings military moral naval Navy group Nixon norms North Korea North Vietnam officers participants Pearl Harbor Pentagon Papers policy-making group political present President Kennedy President's pressures problem procedures psychological questions responsible risks Robert Kennedy role Rusk Schlesinger Secretary shared social Soviet Union stereotypes stress symptoms of groupthink thinking threat tion transcripts Truman Vietnam warning Watergate cover-up White House group Wohlstetter
References to this book
Bibliographic information
| Title | Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and Fiascoes |
| Author | Irving Lester Janis |
| Edition | 2, illustrated, revised |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin, 1982 |
| ISBN | 0395317045, 9780395317044 |
| Length | 349 pages |
| Subjects | › Psychology / Social Psychology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |