Groupthink
Also known as: Pluralistic Ignorance, Bias Cascade, Information, Cascade, The Bandwagon Effect
Groups subconsciously want to agree. To some extent, we all want harmony and conformity for a group in which we are members, so we tend to bend our individual thinking to converge on a consensus and are hostile to objections, often without realizing it. Additionally, we’re more likely to support a conclusion we disagree with just because we think everyone else agrees with it.
In some cases, people consider other people’s thinking as credible evidence. Bob doesn’t know what to think, but he knows that Mary is onboard, so he’s okay with it. What he doesn’t know is that Mary doesn’t know either, and she’s just okay because Alice is okay. What she doesn’t know is… etc.
Links
Examples
The invasion of the Bay of Pigs to overthrow Fidel Castro was formulated by the Eisenhower administration throughout 1960. When John F. Kennedy took office in January 1961, he was briefed on the plan eight days after his inauguration, and ultimately agreed to allow it to go ahead. This plan – the formulation during the first administration, the approval during the second, and the behavior of CIA advocates during both – has been cited as a classic example of groupthink.