groupthink means A process of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially one characterized by uncritical acceptance of or conformity to a perceived majority view. It carries an Arena rating of 1608, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, groupthink ranks #17 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #55 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #2,607 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #2,711 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
groupthink is pronounced /ˈɡɹuːpθɪŋk/.
Why “groupthink” is a great word
Groupthink is a mode of thinking in which the desire for harmony or conformity within a group leads to the uncritical acceptance of a perceived consensus, often producing irrational or dysfunctional outcomes. From group + think, it is modelled on the earlier term doublethink from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. Coined in 1952 by William H. Whyte. Unlike a true 'consensus,' forged through critical evaluation and accommodation of dissent, or the rigorous solitude of 'independent thinking,' groupthink is a passive, social corrosion. It is the quiet swallowing of a doubt in a boardroom, the collective dismissal of the lone dissenter’s data, and the unanimous, ill-fated vote taken in a climate of palpable, unspoken pressure—the triumph of cohesion over clarity, where being right matters less than being included.
Etymology
Coined by William H. Whyte in 1952, from group + think, modelled on earlier doublethink from Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.
noun
- A process of reasoning or decision-making by a group, especially one characterized by uncritical acceptance of or conformity to a perceived majority view.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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