Responding to an emergency while in a group takes the presence of mind to overcome groupthink.
Groupthink vs. Freethink
Conformity, obedience, diffused responsibility, and groupthink control behavior, challenging an individual’s reactions to an emergency. The power of the crowd compels conformity. We all have a desire to fit in, be liked, and not be considered a fool. People often seek company from those worse off than themselves to maintain a sense of self-worth. When subjects in a research project were asked if they got an 85% on a test whether they’d prefer to associate with someone who received a 95% or a person with 78%, more chose those with the lower than higher score.
Though groups have a positive influence on human behavior by adding harmony, security, and social support, they can also lead to faulty decision-making. In 1963, Stanley Milgram, a social psychology professor at Yale, designed an experiment that recruited volunteers to participate in a study they were told was to improve learning and memory.
The participants were instructed to teach students (learners) correct answers to a series of test items by using a device that supposedly delivered electric shocks of varying intensities up to 450 volts. They were instructed to shock the learners when they gave a wrong answer to a test item, assuring them that the shock would improve the learner’s memory.
When responding to incorrect answers from the learners, the volunteer participants obediently and repeatedly shocked them, raising the voltage when instructed to do so. The learners acted out by crying for help and begging the participants to stop. Some even complained of heart trouble. Yet, when told to continue, 65% of the participant volunteers did so, raising the maximum voltage to the point that learners became unresponsive.
Milgram wondered why someone would throw away reason and values to the point of potentially causing serious harm to another individual. He found that the setting seemed to make a difference. When the experiment was conducted in an office rather than a school, the highest shock rate dropped to 40 percent. If the orders were given by phone, the rate dropped to 20 percent.
Groups often manipulate members to act against their own values. Political parties develop platforms that many members don’t support. Groups stop people from hearing opposing information as happened under George Bush in 2003 when the U.S. government convinced a coalition to invade Iraq based on faulty information saying that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. The war resulted in 6,000 American soldiers killed and thousands of civilians dead or maimed.
Groupthink occurs when perceiving the group as invincible and morally right, believing that it can do no harm. The thought that others know more than you, makes people willing to give up their responsibility to search out the truth and com to their own conclusions. Some groups censor members by withholding information, quashing dissenting opinions, and shielding the leader from dissenting views. Leaders fan an illusion of unanimity among the members and promotes negative stereotypes of those who aren’t. It makes members making less likely to help humanity outside their circle.
The media is filled with examples of people standing by while someone is raped or assaulted without anyone intervening or calling the police. Though the crime may occur in front of their eyes, they don’t act. People have been caught taking photos and even laughing as they observe the outrage. Social Psychologists label their behavior as the bystander effect—not offering help when in a group.
Reasons to act this way start with not recognizing someone is actually in need of help. When those around us are calm and don’t react to what is happening, then we may fail to acknowledge the need for emergency action. I witnessed this when a man I was talking to at a trade show suddenly stopped breathing and collapsed. Turning to the crowd that was forming, I shouted for CPR assistance, certain someone in the group of educated people could assist. When no one stepped forth, I used my rusty skills, updated by watching television med-series and thankfully brought him back to life well before the paramedics arrived.
People are afraid to get involved when no one rushes to assist. They won’t take personal responsibility, in part, for fear of appearing foolish. The more bystanders there are, the less responsible an individual feels. They imagine as I did at the trade show, that someone in the crowd was more qualified to help. Since I stood apart from the group, I acted. I feel certain that among those watching my then-dead colleague, there was a more qualified person. Alone, I acted immediately.
If you ever find yourself among bystanders watching an emergency, recognize that most people’s first instinct is to deny responsibility for the victim. This awareness can help you snap out of a bubble and realize everyone in the crowd is responsible. If assistance is called for, don’t shout as I did to a wall of bystanders, but look one person in the eye and ask for help, either by calling 911 or assisting with CPR if trained. Even if that person is unable to assist, it may stimulate someone else to come forward. Trust yourself, not the group, to do the right thing.
As crime increases throughout the country, we need to be vigilant. Thefts of catalytic converters are commonplace, and since the Ukraine fiasco, gas is being siphoned off or taken by drilling a hole in gas tanks under the car. We have to stay diligent and do our part to stop such behavior.
If someone looks suspicious, don’t be subject to groupthink. If the crowd appears unconcerned, yet stays to watch, there’s a problem. Don’t fall into the trap of waiting for someone else to act. We are all on neighborhood watch and must speak up. Talk to the person in question and find out what he or she is doing? Get a nearby person to approach the suspect with you, so you are not alone. Act fast. You may be the next victim needing someone’s assistance.
References:
Forcyth, D. (2022) The Psychology of Groups. NOBA project. University of Richmond. retrieved from https://nobaproject.com/modules/the-psychology-of-groups
Website. (2022) Group Behavior. Lumen Introduction to Psychology. retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wmopen-psychology/chapter/conformity-compliance-and-obedience/
Burkley, M. (2009) Why do we Help Less When there is a Crowd. Psychology Today. retrieved from
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Have you ever seen the negative effects of groupthink?
I look forward to hearing from you and invite you to share your experiences below.
