Group Think in "The Usual Suspects"

The video above contains two clips from the 1995 movie "The Usual Suspects". The movie tells the story of five criminals (Michael McManus, Dean Keaton, Fred Fenster, Todd Hockney, and Verbal Kint) and their dealings with a mysterious man named Keyser Soze. The first part of the clip shows the men standing in a police lineup. The men have all committed crimes in the past, but this time they are brought in for a crime none of them actually committed; the police just needed a scapegoat. In the second part of the video the men are angry that they have been brought in under false charges and McManus proposes that they get revenge on the police. All of the men, save Keaton, agree to take part in the act.

Both of the clips exhibit most of the antecedent conditions of groupthink. For one thing, the men have good potential for group cohesiveness. This is because they are somewhat homogeneous and have things in common: they are all men and they are all criminals. Homogeneity fosters group cohesiveness. Another of these antecedent conditions is that the group is well insulated. Group insulation refers to a group being unaffected by influences outside of itself. The fact that McManus proposes getting revenge on the police shows that he and the group do not care about the law (an outside influence). The group also exhibits no impartial leadership; the members of the group all have personal interests in the outcome of the crime they are planning because they are all seeking retribution against the police.

A few symptoms of groupthink can be observed from the group. The men must believe that they are somewhat invincible and will not get caught when they do their "job". This illusion of invulnerability is one of the symptoms of groupthink. Also, the men must believe that the act they are planning is moral and the right thing to do (otherwise, would they be planning it?). Their belief in the inherent morality of the group is another symptom of groupthink. There is one dissenter in the group, Keaton. He is trying to stay away from a life of crime and says that he will not participate in the group's plan. A little later in the movie, however, the group places pressure on the dissenter. Keaton eventually agrees to participate.

Some of the elements of groupthink are not as apparent as others in this particular example, but I feel that this still exemplifies the theory.

Groupthink Shown Through 300

This is a clip from the Zack Snyder’s 2007 film, 300. In this clip, Queen Gorgo is attempting to convince the Spartan counsel to send the army to war and assist her husband, King Leonidas, in his fight against the Persian army. She does all that is in her power to convince the counsel that it is a necessary act. Unfortunately most of the counsel partakes in groupthink.

After viewing this clip one can see that the group would have a tendency to succumb to groupthink. First and foremost, the counsel is made up of very similar individuals. The counsel is made up of a small group of men from the same city who dress, talk, and act alike. Besides this, the fact that they all have the same goal, to prosper in Sparta, also adds to their homogeneity. Also they have high group insulation because they are used to making decisions in the group and tend to think as one. These lead to their overwhelming cohesiveness which is often an antecedent of groupthink.

Then comes the fact that this is an extremely important decision and is most likely causing a good deal of stress on the counsel. Also, the fact that this is a decision that must be made nearly immediately also likely leads to increased levels of stress. When stress is higher and the decision is rushed, the counsel is more likely to make a rash decision favoring the one they had in the first place (not to go to war).

The two overestimations of the group also contribute to the groupthink. First of all the group has the illusion of invulnerability. They believed that since they were technically in control of the army that they had all the power. They also believed that not sending the army to war was doing the moral action. This belief in the inherent morality of the group is a symptom of groupthink.

Finally, the group’s closed-mindedness can be seen as a symptom of groupthink. First of all, the counsel’s out-group stereotypes can be seen. Since the queen is not part of the counsel, she is a woman, etc, they see her as an outsider and they do not wish to listen to her reasoning. Relating to this is the group’s collective rationalization. The counsel doesn’t believe that they will be going to war either way and so they don’t think it is necessary to send the army out. They ignore the Queen’s warnings which might make them change their decision.

Overall, one can clearly see that the counsel in the film 300 partook in groupthink. There are many ways that it could’ve been avoided. First and foremost they could’ve increased the open-mindedness and diversity of the group. They also could’ve taken steps in the beginning so the decision was not so rushed. Finally, if they made an adequate decision-making procedure groupthink may have been evaded.

High School Groupthink in "Mean Girls"

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.

Groupthink in The Nightmare Before Christmas

In this clip from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween Town meeting is being held. In the scene, Jack Skellington is attempting to describe the wonders of Christmas to the citizens of Halloween Town. He begins by enthusiastically telling the townspeople about his journey to Christmas Town and the wonders that he saw there in an attempt to convince them to celebrate the holiday.

When looking at the townspeople of Halloween town, one sees a group that is very prone to groupthink. The group was highly homogenous, they each live the same town and each one of them lives to do two things, celebrate Halloween and scare people, they are also very cohesive because they are all friends and coworkers. The group is also susceptible to groupthink because of their lack of an impartial leader; Jack will say anything to get what he wants. The group also does not take any kind of vote; it is just assumed that their decision is unanimous.

The Groupthink that occurs in this scene starts to unfold shortly after Jacks speech begins. Despite the fact that the people of Halloween Town do not understand what Christmas is, they quickly pick up Jack’s enthusiasm about the holiday and begin to run with it. The group completely misunderstands what Christmas is and unintentionally warped its true nature into something frightening rather than jolly. In doing so, the group assumes that it is inherently moral. They feel that their changes will make the holiday better and more enjoyable. Also, the townspeople do not consider the fact that their actions are selfish and that they are planning to take over something that is not rightfully theirs. Also, the townspeople exhibit another stereotype of groupthink, they have an illusion of invulnerability; they feel that there will be no opposition to their take-over of Christmas and that everyone will enjoy the changes that they make to it.

Initially, Jack attempted to explain that the townspeople misunderstood the true nature of Christmas but eventually the group stopped listening to him in their excitement. In that manner, the group assumed an illusion of unanimity; they assumed that Jack still supported the idea. When that happened, Jack decided to self-censor himself and gives into what the group desired. Once the group had decided to celebrate their twisted version of Christmas, Jack decided that obtaining his goal of celebrating Christmas was more important than keeping the townspeople’s understanding of Christmas accurate. In doing so, he assumed the role of self-appointed mindguard. He chose to create a veil that would be appealing to the townspeople rather than telling them the truth which may change their opinion.

Overall, Jack’s behavior and the behavior of the group as a whole exhibited many of the symptoms of groupthink. If Jack had stuck up for what Christmas actually was and had not withheld information from the townspeople, groupthink might not have happened. Also, if the group had taken precautions against making irrational decisions such as creating a proper decision-making system groupthink could have been avoided as well.

The Canons of Rhetoric

Martin Luther King Jr. - "I Have a Dream" speech



Martin Luther King Jr. is seen above giving his famous “I Have a Dream,” speech to an audience at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. This is a prime example of Aristotle’s Canons of Rhetoric.

Firstly, Invention can be seen by the vast amount of knowledge and information Dr. King brings forth to the people. He draws upon instances of the past, such as slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation, and then bluntly describes the present. He is fully aware of his audience, and uses the emotionally pungent topic of inequality and injustice to aid in his persuasion.

There is a clear introduction to Dr. King’s speech; he makes himself personable to his audience by saying, “I am happy to join with you today.” He then captures their attention by pointing out that today “will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Now that the audience is fully enthralled he continues to move towards the purpose of his speech. Dr. King does so by saying that after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, “100 years later the Negro still is not free.” He continues to list some of the problems which still occur today and ends his introduction with saying “now is the time” to start action.

The body is made up primarily of the summation of injustices faced by the African American people. He uses supporting details, such as the inability for some people to vote and police brutality, to support his argument. He also gives personal insight into his hopes and dreams for the future by stating that his four children will “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

The speech’s conclusion appropriately summarizes Martin Luther King Jr.’s points and arouses the emotions of the audience. He uses the repetition of the phrase “let freedom ring” to reconnect with the listeners and emphasize his belief of the importance of freedom and justice. Finally, the last line of his speech, “all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" fully summarizes his intentions while energizing his listeners.

The canon of style can also be directly seen in the above clip. A prime example is the use of metaphor. In Dr. King’s introduction he says that “America gave the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds” and that he refuses to believe that the “bank of justice is bankrupt” and that they, the people, have come to “cash this check” because it will provide the “riches of freedom and security of justice.” While at first seemingly complex, this metaphor provides tangible and easily understood imagery for the concept Dr. King is trying to convey.

Memory can be seen through Dr. King’s exemplary delivery skills. He has mastered the ability to maintain eye contact, use vocal cues and deliver his emotion to the audience. He has a strong opinion and his body language lets the audience know that he is passionate and that he means business.

Martin Luther King Jr. is known to be one of the most influential men in history, which is most likely partially due to his excellent oratory skills. He is a master of the canons of rhetoric, invention, arrangement, style, delivery and memory, and is therefore extremely persuasive.

Group Think Theory: Gilmore Girls

This episode of Gilmore Girls takes place at a regular town meeting. Taylor Doose (Michael Winters), is in charge of running town meetings, and in this particular episode brings the relationship of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and Luke Danes (Scott Paterson) to the attention of the congregation. The conditions of these meetings promote high cohesiveness on the town’s part, makes group problem solving a unified process and is also a complex undertaking.

The viewer observes that in accordance with the Group Think Theory, the town meetings reveal the assembly as being a problem-solving group. They express great cohesiveness in trying to solve this issue for the betterment of the town. While concurrence seeking, Taylor uses past examples to gain the town’s awareness of the severity of this issue. Their homogeneity is that they wish not to have the same conflict in which had occurred 10 years ago with Fay Wellington and Art Brush. This dilemma was said to have affected the town’s economy, as well as the unification of the town as a whole. Although Luke tries to express how irrational the towns’ thinking is, Taylor acts as a self-appointed mindguard by not allowing Luke to convey his side of the argument to the group.

Internal and external stress is put on Luke and Lorelai. They are at the beginning of their relationship and by the town expressing their concern for their relationship puts incredible amounts of stress on them. At the end of the clip, it is also apparent that Luke, after several attempts end the argument, decides that it would be best to put the issue to rest. He was pressured toward uniformity in the sense that this issue would not be resolved until a decision on how to handle it was met. This is when Luke gives his word that if the relationship does not work out that he will move out of town.

The towns people use collective rationalization by thinking this is the best way in which to handle the situation, while not observing what would happen if the breakup were to occur. Although they would keep the Dragonfly Inn, they would lose Luke’s Diner, which those who watch the show would know, is a staple in Stars Hallow. Perhaps if the towns people were asked outside of the meeting their thoughts on Luke and Lorelai’s relationship, they would have been supportive. However, since they were at the meeting when the issue was discussed, they adhered to affiliative constraints and more than likely did not select the best alternative in their decision making process. Thus, this clip of Gilmore Girls expresses how the group think can potentially lead to flawed decision making.