Throughout my high school year, many friends and classmates bond together through common interests, hobbies and goals. While everyone may get along with each other well, it may not be the case for everyone. Most new students tend to go along with the rest in aiming to fit in for the first year in the new school. On the surface, it may look like everything is going on well. One incident happened during my junior year, this new girl stood up for herself in a conversation with her friends about afterschool activities. To the new girl, the afterschool activities were a waste of time because she saw that most of her friends use the excuse of staying afterschool to go out of schools. Although some people did do afterschool activities, most of the people she hung out with did not do that. Everyday, her friends would drag her to the malls, to movies, to arcade games, to bowling, to the beach or to drink alcohol at each other's house. To her, it was really a big waste of time. Though she tried to go along for a few months, she was fed up and decided to drop out of the group. This is a real life example of groupthink.
It is undeniable that group communication exist in all society, but to some extent, individuals should have their own voices instead of following their groups. An astounding example is demonstrated in this video link (http://www.crmlearning.com/groupthink-2nd-edition). This video clearly suggests that groupthink requires courage and strong confident in every individual. If not, a catastrophic consequence is expected.
Some people may fear to speak up their opinions just because they feel it may be silly or incorrect statement. This fear allows the majority to dominate the decision-making. Group socialisation is a situation where the individuals and the group seek to influence each other to best meet their needs. While it may be good to listen to other people's suggestion and opinion, it is even more important to have your OWN opinion and thought. If individuals could speak up for important decisions such as during the Bay of Pigs invasion, Pearl Harbor and the Cuban Missile Crisis, million of lives could have been saved. 
2 comments:
I agree that everyone need to have their own opinions. It is important that we don't just simply conform to expectations. However, the challenges of doing so can be enormous to overcome. For instance, the friend, who voiced her/his concern about wasting time with after school activities, risked of being ostracized by her/his friends. Well, that was exactly what happened. Yet, most people would rather follow the pack than carving one's own path.
From the Western doctrine, we are taught to be an individualist: "you can be whoever you want to be" or "if you work hard, you will achieve your goals." In essence, each person is indoctrinated to be independent. However, I want to bring in focus of the positive benefits from participating in a collective society.
First, I think there are less risks to take. Consequences are bared collectively; thus, less blame to go around. Finally, it takes less effort and time to try to "fit" in. RIGHT?
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