Groupthink is often focused on groups in an office setting. However, groups exist everywhere and they all make decisions of some sort, even if they are just everyday choices. In the movie “Mean Girls” there is a group in the high school known as the “Plastics.” This group of girls is highly homogeneous; they are all the same grade and all essentially want the same things. Regina George (blonde on the left) plays the role of the leader in the group.
The three girls have a set way of doing things. Everyday they have a specific way of dressing and others rules are established. Many of things they do to other students are mean and unnecessary, but they are too afraid to speak up to each other. Most of this is due to their lack of impartial leadership. Regina is only the leader because she is the first to speak up. Even if the other two have ideas they restrain themselves. The three of them are very cohesive because they all want to get along.
The group is very isolated which builds their groupthink. They don’t really pay much attention to what is going on with others outside of their group. They also suffer from overestimation of their group. They think they are the end all and be all of their high school, when in reality they are not. They also experience a lot of pressure toward uniformity because they want to get along just to get along. They do this so they don’t injure their friendship in any way. At many times the other two are silent while Regina makes decisions for the whole; this creates an illusion of uniformity.
Most of the film shows how an outsider actually breaks down the groupthink. A new girl, Kady, comes to the school and becomes friends with the “Plastics.” She sees the wrongdoing in their decisions and actions. By befriending the three girls, Kady, partakes in whistle blowing because she speaks her mind when others the girls would have chosen to stay quiet. Eventually the girls go their separate ways after realizing that the group was lacking in many things. This brings an end to their groupthink.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
High School Groupthink in "Mean Girls"
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Groupthink is definitely evident and a major component of the movie “Mean Girls.” This can be seen right from the trailer clip because as the one girl is talking, none of the other girls dispute what she has to say, for fear of being a nonconformist and being kicked out of the group. This is typical of most high school groups because all people in high school just want to fit in and become a victim of groupthink. In every group, there is a leader that does most of the talking and influences the climate of the group. In the movie of “Mean Girls,” this person is Regina George. As a result, because this group is the most influential, everyone gets sucked into the groupthink phenomenon and hence becomes a mindless drone of Regina George.
Finding groupthink in the high school context (rather than a typical group meeting) is novel.
However, The analysis didn't elaborate on the symptoms of groupthink shown in the trailer clip.
It would be interesting if you could find a clip showing how the whistle blower, Kady, interacted with this group.
Groupthink is seen throughout the movie mean girls. There is a lack of decision making procedures and the members all push toward uniformity instead of what is the best decision. They have a set schedule on what to wear throughout the week and set rules that all must obey or else there are consequences. Regina is the self appointed mindguard and there is a lot of close mindedness in the group because they do not take outside opinion or listen to what other people have to say. They feel that what their group does is the standard for other people to follow and that others are wrong in their actions.
Groupthink is very evident throughout "Mean Girls." Regina and the other mean girls have developed a sense of groupthink where they do no listen to what others say who are not in the group and believe only what other members say. They believe that they are the best of the best, and do not do anything without the other members' approval.
Its true, because the "girl world" and "real world" were only at peace after the break up of the Plastics. Since the group had branched out, each could show really their individual personalities and it made them happier (like with Karen doing the morning weather report and Regina becoming a jock girl). When they played by the rules of the "Plastics" then they were hurting themselves with Karen having low self esteem and Gretchen feeling as though she had to do anything for Regina's approval.
The homogeneousness of the group is also shown in how similar they look and dress. They all have a "preppy" look, dress alike, are Caucasian, are all either blonde or brunette, and are similar build and height.
Although the clip was short, the characters in the movie did display characteristics and behaviors of Groupthink. There was an established leader who made the decisions for every member, which shows uniformity. THe girls were closeminded and had high group insulation since they were always seperated from the rest of the school.
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