Group think to you think

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GROUPTHINK IN PRISONS

Transcript of Group think to you think

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GROUPTHINK IN PRISONS

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TWO ROADS DIVERGE IN A YELLOW WOODS, AND I – I TOOK THE ONE LESS TRAVELED BY, AND THAT HAS MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.Robert Frost

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ARTICLE REVIEW • I reviewed the article Do you suffer form decision fatigue?

• This article looked at a relatively new psychological idea of “Decision Fatigue.”

• This article looks at the fatigue or mental strain that can come from decision making.

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ARTICLE REVIEW • The article first explains the history of decision fatigue which was

first explored by the well know psychologist, Roy F. Baumeister. When he first looked into this condition Baumeister called it ego depletion.

• The name was made in homage to Freud who believed that the “self” was made up of the “ego” which could be depleted by mental activities.

• Baumeister conducted tests to see the extent of a persons mental energy. These test confirms that humans do have breaking point for mental energy after which decisions are being made quickly and without any forethought.

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ARTICLE REVIEW• The article also looked into resisting desires and the strain that

can cause on the body.

• Baumeister also conducted a separate study to test how desire can fuel decision fatigue.

• In this study they gave two hundred people Blackberys that would give a reminder every hour for the participant to text the tester about any craving they were having at the moment, and also to text them when they “gave into” that craving.

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ARTICLE REVIEW • This new study found that an average person spends about four to

give hours everyday resisting desirers.

• Resisting these desires can also reduced the amount of decision making energy you have in a day.

• The article open with an example that showed the negative side of decision fatigue. The author sat in on a sentencing session at a court house. He found that through out the day the judge steadily started giving harsher sentences for lesser crimes as the day progressed.

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ARTICLE REVIEW• Lastly the article tackled the reclusive question “How do you

become a good decision maker.”

• This article argues that good decision making isn’t a personal trait like so many of us think, but instead an ever fluctuating state of mind.

• The studies found that the best decision makers are those that figure out how to manage their decision fatigue which they do by structuring their lives to conserve will power.

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GROUP THINK

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GROUPTHINK• Groupthink is an aspect of small group decision making.

• Groupthink is often the negative effect of dysfunctional decision making.

• book describes Groupthink as “a model of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members striving for unanimity override their motivating to realistically appraise alternative courses of action.

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APPLICATION OF GROUPTHINK TO PRISONS

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APPLICATION • A good example of groupthink would be a riot (picture on the left) but

I also think an institution that is facilitating groupthink is our prisons.

• Groupthink is often explained as rash decisions made under the pressure of a unstoppable mob. A key example of this would be a riot. At first your parting or peacefully protesting and then the next minuet your fending off teargas from the riot brigade.

• Although I admit that we may be most susceptible to groupthink under quick moving and stressful situations I think there are slower more lasting situations that facilitate groupthink.

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APPLICATION• Gangs are often found in low income areas where young men and

women feel, and are taught to think, there is no way out.

• These young kids often turn to gangs not only for what they perceive to be their only form of monetary gain but also for a stable family substitute.

• “The gang is forever. They are my brothers.” such statements are communally found amongst gang members.

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• No only do members often feel the gang was their only optioin they start to feel like the gang is their family.

• There associations will lead to as strong belief in the gang even though often it’s very existence is founded on crime.

• Crime and deviance is easily explained within gangs. The people you look up to are often criminals and this will lead to the neutralization of crimes (rationalizing a deviant action because everyone else is doing it.)

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APPLICATION• When gang members are taken off the street and put into prisons

they aren’t being removed from groupthink but instead put into an instituting that facilitates it.

• Prisons aren’t really a place to be inspiring individual thinking.

• Prisoners are taught to conform and do as told. The only free time they get is often spent with their fellow gang members in the yard. This loyalty to the gang is usually the only protection people can get in prison and will lead to even more deeply ingrained groupthink.

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APPLICATION• Decision making is hard and as the article has proven it can

deteriorate over time. When you take decision fatigue and then tie it in with groupthink you could get a very dangerous mix.

• Prisons activity work to take a persons individuality away from them in hopes this will discourage them form acting out.

• I don’t believe this is the case, quite the opposite actually. By taking away these peoples decision making rights they are making them more susceptible to deeply ingrained groupthink.

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QUESTIONS

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QUESTIONS If prisoners are created to take away a persons individuality how do we

prevent groupthink?

I would want to look more into decision fatigue and see if there is any way to build up more mental energy to combat it.

I also would want to know how much self control contributes to your ability to manage decision making. The article briefly touches on how people with better self control better manage decision fatigue but what determines self control?

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QUESTIONS I’m really interested in how prisoners make decisions once they are

released from prison. I have done a little research that shows that a persons decision making ability is greatly compromised after prisons and I would like to know how that ability can be built up.

Would prisoners released from prison be feeling much more decision fatigue after they are released because of the sudden bombardment of choices?

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QUESTIONS What sort of things could be done to help prisoners combated groupthink?

Should prisoners be separated from gang affiliations or would that just worsen the situation.

Is there a way to teach people to combat decision fatigue, and if there is can it be taught in prisons.

Would teaching this help prisoners make better decisions once released and maybe reduce their likelihood of recidivism.

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WORK CITED

Tierney, J. (n.d.). Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue? New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2011.