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Reposted from another forum

For those who've never heard of Groupthink before, it is a psychological term, used to describe a group of people for whom the desire to conform with the group is so great, that they make irrational decisions. The group could be an organisation, a group of students working on a project together, a country, even an internet forum.

One of the symptoms of groupthink, is an illusion of morality. Members begin to view the group and their decisions as standing on the ethical high ground. As long as all the members conform and agree, then they are ethically correct. They stop questioning and challenging.

I suggest here, that humans have an inbuilt sense of right and wrong. Is it possible that our inbuilt sense of right and wrong, is a desire to conform and belong? And that if we agree with everyone else, we can feel satisfied that we are acting morally, even though this may not be the case. The acceptance of slavery by our ancestors 150 years ago is a good example.

So 3 Questions;

1) Do we have groupthink at KMC?

2) Do the Mods have groupthink?

3) Do you worry how people on KMC think about you?

Sounds interesting.JM

Originally posted by whirlysplat
3) Do you worry how people on KMC think about you?

I'm only concerned about how 3 or 4 specific users think because I talk and trade posts with them so much. After that, nope!

Well, I'm not a psychology expert and I've never heard of the official term GroupThink, but I can tell you a certain type of thread that raises a red flag when dealing with this subject:

Threads with articles like:

"Man molests 4-year old!"
or
"Stepfather drowns kids, then smacks wife"
or
"Woman sells children for heroin money"

Get my drift?

i think its a shadey issue.
of coarse there are cliques at KMC who seem to agree and bicker on the side of others when they normally wouldnt give a shit. however, 'group think' is also a copout label which is sometimes applied when others tend to have the similar ideals. there are a couple of members here who i tend to mostly agree with on certain issues. at the same time, i wont hesitate to express my disagreement to those very same people should a difference in opinion arise.

Originally posted by Jackie Malfoy
Sounds interesting.JM

thanks so much for that. very enlightening.
i think that about wraps up this discussion.
maybe a thread closing should be requested, since
this is now obviously a dead issue.

So do you think we conform on KMC due to this Groupthink your posts imply exists?

Originally posted by PVS
thanks so much for that. very enlightening.
i think that about wraps up this discussion.
maybe a thread closing should be requested, since
this is now obviously a dead issue.

I needed a good laugh before the end of the day. Thanks, dude.

Uh, oh. This isn't a trap, is it?

You know, one of those threads about a certain form of Internet psychology where 4 pages into the thread all of the members will be displaying forms of the topic (GroupThink in this case) of discussion?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
So do you think we conform on KMC due to this Groupthink your posts imply exists?

i dont think i do. maybe on a subconscious level, who knows.
i believe that some will actually conform to their clique.

im not sure if thats an answerable question though.

A mechanism to avoid groupthink consists of constantly questioning decisions, applied to a discussion, questioning arguments/motives. I mostly notice this in the GDF, Religion Forum and the Philosophy Forum. I' m inclined to say that those members, when they agree, genuinely agree and not merely to conform.

Originally posted by botankus
Uh, oh. This isn't a trap, is it?

You know, one of those threads about a certain form of Internet psychology where 4 pages into the thread all of the members will be displaying forms of the topic (GroupThink in this case) of discussion?

That would be devious woudn't it?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
a group of people for whom the desire to conform with the group is so great, that they make irrational decisions.

Someone else think this statement is stupid for the one reason that they said why it actually is a rational decisions....becaus ethe desire is so great.....

An Irrational Decision is a Decision that no has no rational explaination...thisa does though....

Originally posted by Bardock42
Someone else think this statement is stupid for the one reason that they said why it actually is a rational decisions....becaus ethe desire is so great.....

An Irrational Decision is a Decision that no has no rational explaination...thisa does though....

So it does but its rationally relies on external observation The outcome of this rationality can be deviant in nature

Originally posted by Bardock42
Someone else think this statement is stupid for the one reason that they said why it actually is a rational decisions....becaus ethe desire is so great.....

An Irrational Decision is a Decision that no has no rational explaination...thisa does though....

?????????????

Originally posted by whirlysplat
So it does but its rationally relies on external observation The outcome of this rationality can be deviant in nature


Not really.....its rational all the way through........people from the outside understand why a peson behaves that way...and for the person itself although it might not be obvious it is still rational because they see the group as more important as most other things....

Originally posted by Bardock42
Not really.....its rational all the way through........people from the outside understand why a peson behaves that way...and for the person itself although it might not be obvious it is still rational because they see the group as more important as most other things....

Yes indeed they see the group as more important than most things.

Do you see that here my friend?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
Yes indeed they see the group as more important than most things.

Do you see that here my friend?

Not really......I wouldn't know what groups there are on KMC.......the only thing want is that botankus doesn't take me serious......which he obviously doesn't ( I am a goal achiever...)...

OK what then do you see the point of your posts being?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
Reposted from another forum

For those who've never heard of Groupthink before, it is a psychological term, used to describe a group of people for whom the desire to conform with the group is so great, that they make irrational decisions. The group could be an organisation, a group of students working on a project together, a country, even an internet forum.

One of the symptoms of groupthink, is an illusion of morality. Members begin to view the group and their decisions as standing on the ethical high ground. As long as all the members conform and agree, then they are ethically correct. They stop questioning and challenging.

I suggest here, that humans have an inbuilt sense of right and wrong. Is it possible that our inbuilt sense of right and wrong, is a desire to conform and belong? And that if we agree with everyone else, we can feel satisfied that we are acting morally, even though this may not be the case. The acceptance of slavery by our ancestors 150 years ago is a good example.

So 3 Questions;

1) Do we have groupthink at KMC?

2) Do the Mods have groupthink?

3) Do you worry how people on KMC think about you?


Since Groupthink is like "The thing" of my social psychology professor I know quite a bit about it, still am no expert at it far from that.

Now the questions:

1) No not KMC as a whole atleast, probably smaller groups of users have groupthink among themselves. Eventho Groupthink might be potentially dangerous it is very common in small "isolated" groups. I for one know it happened in my friends group in highschool. Actually I'm wondering if a psychologist ever did a study about that, would be neat.

2) Well from personal experience I have to say NO The mods are among the most sceptical and questioning members on KMC. I think Raz gets more flame from his mods than from normal members. (Atleast it was like that back when I saw a mod)

3) I think everyone does at some point, even if it is only from a selection of members. Personally I care about what a few people think of me. It used to be more people but it stopped for some reason.

Originally posted by Fire
Since Groupthink is like "The thing" of my social psychology professor I know quite a bit about it, still am no expert at it far from that.

Now the questions:

1) No not KMC as a whole atleast, probably smaller groups of users have groupthink among themselves. Eventho Groupthink might be potentially dangerous it is very common in small "isolated" groups. I for one know it happened in my friends group in highschool. Actually I'm wondering if a psychologist ever did a study about that, would be neat.

2) Well from personal experience I have to say NO The mods are among the most sceptical and questioning members on KMC. I think Raz gets more flame from his mods than from normal members. (Atleast it was like that back when I saw a mod)

3) I think everyone does at some point, even if it is only from a selection of members. Personally I care about what a few people think of me. It used to be more people but it stopped for some reason.

Do you ever play to an "audience" on here? or feel you have something to "live up to" Fire?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
So do you think we conform on KMC due to this Groupthink your posts imply exists?
i like inuyasha and dragon ball gt

i like drGON BALL GT AND INUYASHA

Originally posted by inuyasha555
i like inuyasha and dragon ball gt


well thats cool good for you skipper

I LIKE DRAGONBALL GT AND INUYASHA

MY NAME IS INUYASHA

Nope, probably sometimes unconsciously I mind my language and my tongue because now my girlfriend can read this, Altho I don't do it as much as I used to -I think!-

Besides that I have grown past caring what most people think of me.

Ofcourse people always have a front and a backstage. and will always try to adapt themselves even if just slightly to a situation.

Inuyasha555 cut it out. If you want to make posts that don't have reliance to the topic go to the OTF

I'd say that there are groups one here that are like that, but as a whole, no.

Mods...hah, yeah right, I've seen them question each other a lot.

As for the last one....there's maybe 5 people on here that I care what they think about me, everyone else I really couldn't care less. I used to care, but as I've become more outgoing I've started caring less and less until it's become not at all.

WRONG FOURMS

Originally posted by inuyasha555
I LIKE DRAGONBALL GT AND INUYASHA
You' ll meet kindred spirits here: InuYasha

Right, OK so do you see others playing to the cowed or seeking acceptance not just on this forum but in general on KMC.

Yes, I do in life, again IMO everyone does it to some degree, others just do it more blatantly

i think i've made enough enemies here to prove i dont care what others think of me.

hehe sorry PVS but no one will ever give me that idea.

Originally posted by PVS
i think i've made enough enemies here to prove i dont care what others think of me.


PVS do you like to be seen as right?

Originally posted by whirlysplat
PVS do you like to be seen as right?

i like agreement just as i like a good debate.
i think its impossible to be seen as right unless on a topic of pure virtue.
like if someone says "nuke all the arabs" and i say "thats a shitty thing to think and say" in a rare case such as that, i feel right.

Originally posted by PVS
i like agreement just as i like a good debate.
i think its impossible to be seen as right unless on a topic of pure virtue.
like if someone says "nuke all the arabs" and i say "thats a shitty thing to think and say" in a rare case such as that, i feel right.


Would you say on this forum their are topics where groups align? and they are expected to do this and do and act in character?

i sense an opinion in the form of a question. but that implies that someone should consciously go against their ideals in order to avoid the label of 'group thinker'. i think people think the way they think. others think the same way...so they agree. there as some members whom i mostly agree with, some go either way, and some i consider to be fools (although always leave them the chance to surprise me). none of which is determined by the need to be liked. i just find that certain people here have a way of taking words right out of my mouth...so i agree,

Originally posted by whirlysplat
Right, OK so do you see others playing to the cowed or seeking acceptance not just on this forum but in general on KMC.

In life, yeah, everyone does to some degree. On here there are people who are like that but it's not so much as it's the internet. I know I certainly don't, once I stopped trying to gain acceptance and acted like myself and made it clear I didn't care anymore what others thought, I became much more popular on here.

Originally posted by PVS
i sense an opinion in the form of a question. but that implies that someone should consciously go against their ideals in order to avoid the label of 'group thinker'. i think people think the way they think. others think the same way...so they agree. there as some members whom i mostly agree with, some go either way, and some i consider to be fools (although always leave them the chance to surprise me). none of which is determined by the need to be liked. i just find that certain people here have a way of taking words right out of my mouth...so i agree,

No I am not saying that you should side with the conspiracists etc., but do you feel these groups groupthink is not trolling but rather an expected kind of learnt behaviour

Originally posted by whirlysplat
OK what then do you see the point of your posts being?


To humour myself.....I like the posting...I like seeing peoples reaction...I like reading other points....its basically for me to have fun

Originally posted by inuyasha555
i like inuyasha and dragon ball gt
that is really cute and all but you have to be older than 4 to join these forums....

Well, I feel there's no problem with this Groupthink thing except for my first post in this thread which got zero responses. To sum up, stop making stupid obvious threads where society as a whole would disapprove if you thought against the norm.

Those are strictly follow-the-leader threads and I'll say it on every one of them that's created if I have to. Have a nice day!

Originally posted by Kuntz
No I am not saying that you should side with the conspiracists etc., but do you feel these groups groupthink is not trolling but rather an expected kind of learnt behaviour

like i said before, it all depends on the situation. if someone makes a post praising hitler for example, and everyone says "you're an a$$hole", is that group think? or is that simply everyone sharing and expressing the same opinion?

Originally posted by botankus
Well, I feel there's no problem with this Groupthink thing except for my first post in this thread which got zero responses. To sum up, stop making stupid obvious threads where society as a whole would disapprove if you thought against the norm.

Those are strictly follow-the-leader threads and I'll say it on every one of them that's created if I have to. Have a nice day!

Justification?

Have a nice day

-Kuntz

http://meisterplanet.com/images/quartertothree/qt3-hypno-groupthink.gif




I've seen people who fall under the guidelines listed above on both the "left" and "right" side. I believe that we all subscribe to a certain degree of "groupthink." Seeing as how we generally associate ourselves with people who have opinions/ideals similar to our own. The biggest problem I have, however, is with individuals who are not able to diverge from the group consensus from time to time, particularly when the "groups" opinion might be on the wrong side of the fence. So what are everyone's opinions on this?

Originally posted by whobdamandog
http://meisterplanet.com/images/quartertothree/qt3-hypno-groupthink.gif




I've seen people who fall under the guidelines listed above on both the "left" and "right" side. I believe that we all subscribe to a certain degree of "groupthink." Seeing as how we generally associate ourselves with people who have opinions/ideals similar to our own. The biggest problem I have, however, is with individuals who are not able to diverge from the group consensus from time to time, particularly when the "groups" opinion might be on the wrong side of the fence. So what are everyone's opinions on this?

Yes - I have observed this as well

I think you should learn to use the search function

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=358868&highlight=groupthink

Epilepsy

Originally posted by Lana
I think you should learn to use the search function

http://www.killermovies.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=358868&highlight=groupthink

I know how to do that and got warned for bumping threads with it today - hey thats my old thread

Originally posted by Ron Jeremy
I know how to do that and got warned for bumping threads with it today - hey thats my old thread

There's a difference between bumping threads simply for the sake of bumping it - what you were doing - and bumping a thread because you have something relevant to add to that discussion.

Originally posted by Ron Jeremy
I know how to do that and got warned for bumping threads with it today - hey thats my old thread

Bumping old threads isn't a problem if you actually add something constructive to the conversation or offer a new perspective, doing it just for the sake of bumping is generally frowned upon because many people do it just to be annoying.

If you want to bump a thread, add something to it, then there won't be a problem.

Originally posted by Lana
There's a difference between bumping threads simply for the sake of bumping it - what you were doing - and bumping a thread because you have something relevant to add to that discussion.

I added relevant agreeing statements

Agreeing isn't really enough, to be honest. You should add something beyond that, or else it falls under just bumping for bumping.

I'm sure you didn't do it purposely and I'm not trying to insinuate that you didn't have good intentions, I'm just telling you for future reference.

Originally posted by BackFire
Agreeing isn't really enough, to be honest. You should add something beyond that, or else it falls under just bumping for bumping.

I'm sure you didn't do it purposely and I'm not trying to insinuate that you didn't have good intentions, I'm just telling you for future reference.

Thanks and no problem

Originally posted by PVS
thanks so much for that. very enlightening.
i think that about wraps up this discussion.
maybe a thread closing should be requested, since
this is now obviously a dead issue.

Originally posted by Sir Whirlysplat

1) Do we have groupthink at KMC?

2) Do the Mods have groupthink?

3) Do you worry how people on KMC think about you?

1 My initial impression is No. I think most people view the forum as a place to indeed express their individualities--heck, if we did have groupthink would we have so many "heated" debates?

2 Again, doesn't seem that way to me. However, the very purpose of the Mods is to make sure certain rules of "civilized engagement" are abided by.

3 No...though sometimes someone will say something I feel is presumptuous or provoking and requires "rectification." But generally, what erroneous imbecilic impression someone may have of me is not even worth the effort to respond.

I wonder if those who raise the question, and the concern, of "group think" would do so if everybody was agreeing with them...

As in is group think in the eye of the beholder? Relative to the agreers and disagreers? Hmmmmmm.

Originally posted by KidX


Hey you bothered to bump this thred...... cool

Originally posted by BackFire
Bumping old threads isn't a problem if you actually add something constructive to the conversation or offer a new perspective, doing it just for the sake of bumping is generally frowned upon because many people do it just to be annoying.

If you want to bump a thread, add something to it, then there won't be a problem.

I see......

Originally posted by Sir Whirlysplat


1) Do we have groupthink at KMC?



I think this group is insane. Close enough?

Originally posted by Jedi Priestess
I think this group is insane. Close enough?

Yup