what are the symptoms of groupthink 
irving janis identified eight signs that are closely associated with groupthink illusions of unanimity unquestioned beliefs rationalization stereotyping mindguards illusions of invulnerability and direct pressure on opposing views each of these signs leads members of the group to ignore dissenting viewpoints and to hide their own doubts this enforces the illusion that the group s decisions are superior to individual judgment and that any opposing views are contrary to the group s interests 2under what conditions is groupthink most likely to occur groupthink is most likely to occur in highly cohesive groups with a strong sense of shared identity where there is a strong pressure to arrive at the correct decision this pressure may lead some members of the group to withhold key information in order to avoid undermining the sense of group agreement a strong or charismatic leader is also a major contributor to groupthink since members will be under pressure to agree with the leader s decisions 2the bottom linegroupthink occurs when people converge on the same idea with little critical thinking or opposition within the ranks while groupthink can signal solidarity and may show respect or deference to more senior leaders it also shuts down dissenting voices and alternative opinions this means that wrong ideas or bad strategies can become amplified and ultimately implemented groupthink therefore can lead to suboptimal or even disastrous outcomes 