SOCIAL IDENTITY MAINTENANCE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR PREVENTING GROUPTHINK -REDUCING IDENTITY PROTECTION AND ENHANCING INTELLECTUAL CONFLICT

Although the concept of groupthink (the extreme concurrence-seeking te ndency displayed by decision making groups), has been an influential o ne, empirical research has provided equivocal support for the groupthi nk model. In this paper, we review previous case and laboratory work o n groupthink and identify empirical and theoretical inconsistencies. W e then describe a model of groupthink as social identity maintenance ( SIM) that is capable of reconciling these inconsistencies and summariz e laboratory experiments that specifically test the SIM hypothesis. We use the model to suggest possible pitfalls of previous proposals for preventing group think when SIM pressures are operative. Finally, we s uggest intervention strategies capable of mitigating groupthink due to SIM that have two objectives: (a) the reduction of pressures toward i dentity protection and (b) the stimulation of intellectual conflict.