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. |
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Page 115
The dissenter was made to feel at home , providing he lived up to two restrictions
: first , that he did not voice his doubts to outsiders and thus play into the hands of
the opposition ; and second , that he kept his criticisms within the bounds of ...
The dissenter was made to feel at home , providing he lived up to two restrictions
: first , that he did not voice his doubts to outsiders and thus play into the hands of
the opposition ; and second , that he kept his criticisms within the bounds of ...
Page 223
watered - down version of the dissenting position he had intended to present
forcefully , alluding merely to " soft spots " that made him feel “ not confident that
we can ride through this . " As he was saying this , Dean informs us in his
memoirs ...
watered - down version of the dissenting position he had intended to present
forcefully , alluding merely to " soft spots " that made him feel “ not confident that
we can ride through this . " As he was saying this , Dean informs us in his
memoirs ...
Page 246
Social psychological studies indicate that as a member of a group is made to feel
more accepted by the others - a feature that is usually associated with increased
group cohesiveness - he acquires greater freedom to say what he really thinks .
Social psychological studies indicate that as a member of a group is made to feel
more accepted by the others - a feature that is usually associated with increased
group cohesiveness - he acquires greater freedom to say what he really thinks .
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Contents
The Wrong | 3 |
The Making of the Marshall Plan | 159 |
How Clever | 198 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
accepted according action administration Admiral advisers alternative American appears asked assumptions attack avoid Bay of Pigs become called Chiefs cohesive Committee concerning consensus consequences continued course cover-up crisis critical Cuba Cuban danger Dean decision decision-making Defense deliberations Department direct discussion effect errors evidence example Executive expected fact factors feel fiasco forces give going groupthink Haldeman invasion involved issues Japanese Johnson judgment Kennedy leader leading major March meetings military missile moral Nixon norms North objections officers operation participants Pearl Harbor policy-making political position possible present President pressures probably problem procedures proposed questions responsible result risks role says Secretary seems Senator shared social Soviet staff stress strong suggested thinking threat tion transcripts Truman United UNIVERSITY Vietnam warning Watergate White House
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 |
| Original from | the University of California |
| Digitized | 30 Jan 2007 |
| ISBN | 0395317045, 9780395317044 |
| Length | 349 pages |
| Subjects | › Psychology / Social Psychology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |