Critical thinking can take a back seat to peer pressure.
Peer pressure is often described as a phenomenon that affects teenagers, as if adults are immune to it.
Wrong! Adults of any age can be subjected to peer pressure.
One outcome of peer pressure is called groupthink.
Perhaps the most-cited case of groupthink resulted in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Adults can succumb to peer pressure if they believe that they will be punished for not agreeing with the group.
Sometimes, the punishment takes place after a group decision proves to be wrong.
From the New York Times, 11 May 1986: “The rocket engineers who told a Presidential panel three months ago that they had argued strenuously against launching the space shuttle Challenger in cold weather on Jan. 28 have now informed the panel they have been severely punished by their employer, Morton Thiokol Inc., for their testimony.”
Pressure from a group can be due to group leaders wanting something so much that they tune out dissenting voices.
In his commentary Roger Boisjoly and the Management Hat, Dr. Derek Lowe writes, “There seem to have been some people who were determined to launch the shuttle and determined to not hear anything that would interfere with that goal.”
Personal Observations:
– One is less likely to succumb to peer pressure if one has the option of leaving the group. In the case of the Challenger disaster, the engineers who disagreed with the Challenger’s launch were stuck in the group that they were in.
– Peer pressure can be reduced by not relying on a single group for emotional support.
Featured Image in Public Domain.
The “Wanted” posters say the following about David: “Wanted: A refugee from planet Melmac masquerading as a human. Loves cats. If seen, contact the Alien Task Force.”