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
Results 1-3 of 41
Page 52
... Acheson from office . With Marshall in the key position , Acheson was reunited with his " revered and beloved former chief , " with whom he had worked closely during 1947-1949 , when the general had served as Secretary of State . " No ...
... Acheson from office . With Marshall in the key position , Acheson was reunited with his " revered and beloved former chief , " with whom he had worked closely during 1947-1949 , when the general had served as Secretary of State . " No ...
Page 63
... Acheson had talked with members of his State Depart- ment staff about alternative outcomes . MacArthur might be successful in repelling Chinese intervention , but , on the other hand , " if ... we find ourselves with a long struggle on ...
... Acheson had talked with members of his State Depart- ment staff about alternative outcomes . MacArthur might be successful in repelling Chinese intervention , but , on the other hand , " if ... we find ourselves with a long struggle on ...
Page 286
... Acheson to in- form the President but he refused on the grounds that since it was a military matter the recommendation should come from them . General Collins ( 1969 , p . 202 ) denies this story . " That just isn't so , " Acheson told ...
... Acheson to in- form the President but he refused on the grounds that since it was a military matter the recommendation should come from them . General Collins ( 1969 , p . 202 ) denies this story . " That just isn't so , " Acheson told ...
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Acheson administration Admiral Kimmel advisers advisory group Allen Dulles alternative American assumptions attack avoid Bay of Pigs bombing CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 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 group dynamics groupthink hypothesis groupthink syndrome groupthink tendencies Haldeman Hawaii Ibid in-group inner circle invasion plan Japanese Johnson Joint Chiefs Kennan Kennedy's Korean War leader major Marshall Plan McNamara meetings military moral naval 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 Sorensen Soviet Union stereotypes stress symptoms of groupthink thinking threat tion transcripts Truman UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Vietnam Vietnam War warning Watergate cover-up White House group