Finally! My blog is out of hiatus! That was a sure long week of no communication class discussions so no blogs at that time :/ But now comm class is up again meaning blogs are starting up again :D
This week's single meeting (although a short one with the announcements of midterm grades and the photo contest which btw was won by Gabriel Dionglay! Grats!) held an interesting theory. We are done with some of the more personal theories and are finally moving on to group theories. Stepping up to the plate to bat first for the group theories is "GroupThink".
GroupThink has a nice ring to its name don't you think so? Not only does it have a nice ring to it but it also has a pretty intriguing idea. GroupThink in a nutshell refers to how one actually thinks like the group in other words you the individual who belongs in a group will think in the same way as the group. Still a bit too complicated? Well have you ever been in a group that you just give in to one decision despite knowing you have a better idea yourself? GroupThink is like that making you decide for the sake of the group and just going with the flow.
Here I think is a prefect example of GroupThink at work that should be more common to everyone.
Friend 1: Saan tayo kakain?
Friend 2: Kahit saan na lang basta okay yung pagkain.
Friend 3: Sa _______ na lang! Masarap doon!
Friend 4: Ayaw ko doon, sabi nila hindi daw masarap.
Friend 2: Eh... Saan mo gusto ngayon?
Friend 4: Ummmmm.....Kahit saan....
Friend 1: Wala na tayong ibang maisip eh....
Friend 4: Sige na nga doon na lang.
Friend 3: YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!
A common "barkada" dilemma that even we experience. Despite #4 having different thoughts about ______ in the end he just gave in to the decision of one in order for the group to even continue with their plans eating out. The idea suggest that you would just "rather go with the flow" to preserve the group rather than throw it into disarray.
Here are some of my personal thoughts as to why this happens different from the creator of the theory. My first idea was to avoid alienation by the group. Rather than actually trying to preserve the group itself my opinion is people do this because they want to preserve their membership in the group and not the group itself. People are naturally social beings and they need companions so being alienated from a group is not a desired possibility. Honestly if I were in the shoes of #4 I'd rather eat a place I hate with my friend than eat a place I like all alone. You can relate this to cognitive dissonance that you see companionship as the minimal justification in your choice. The above example situation is what you call "peer pressure" that you view it better to just give in rather than lose the companionship of the group you are in. See GroupThink doesn't only have a nice ring to it but also a hell darn good of an idea as well :D
Good example, Vic!
ReplyDeleteI often encounter this situation whenever I'm with friends, even with my family. There are times that I'm craving for a particular food, but I just go with someone else's decision anyway.
I also agree with your personal thoughts regarding this theory. I think the individual really wants to save himself before anything else most of the time. And besides, who would want to be alienated and cast out of a group, right?
Nice blog dude! I can totally relate to your example. In all actuality the example can be us when our block tries to decide where to go and what to do. I agree to your thoughts wholeheartedly. People try to avoid alienation so they just do what others want to do even if they have different ideas. I mean I myself hate to be alone when I know that I can be with the company of my friends even if it would be somewhere I would not prefer to be.
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