Group minds summary - Grade: A PDF

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Group Minds by Doris Lessing Thesis: The human race are now in possession of a great deal of hard information about ourselves, but we do not use it to improve our institutions and therefore our lives. 1) Individualism a. Western society b. Set of assumptions about ourselves c. Helplessness to conform 2) Groups a. People seek out groups b. Group animals c. Groups change a person’s way of thinking 3) Experiments a. Psychologists and sociologists’ study of groups b. People have not heard of the studies and don’t use information to improve themselves c. People give into the majority opinion and obey the atmosphere 4) Conformity a. Hard to stand up against groups b. Obedience to a group/ group mind c. Information will set people free In “Group Minds”, Doris Lessing discusses how in Western Societies they have a specific idea about themselves and believe they are individuals who make their own choices. Everyone

has a set of assumptions about themselves but in one way or another they give in to the pressure to conform. We are group animals and are constantly seeking out groups. As human beings we seek out groups because we cannot handle being alone. People who are all in a group all tend to think in a similar way. Eventually, a person in a group changes their way of thinking to match how the group thinks. Psychologists and Sociologists have done multiple studies on groups and group dynamics. People who have not heard of these studies reinforce Doris Lessing’s thesis, which is people do not use the information that they have and are given to better themselves. These tests and experiments also show how people give in to group pressure. If multiple people say one thing and one person thinks the opposite, that minority will give into the group opinion. Everyone knows how hard it is to stand up to the group they are in or have a different opinion. People feel obedient to that group and that obedience is a group mind. People all think the same way and resist change. The human race has this information on groups and must use it to set themselves free from “blind loyalties, obedience to slogans, rhetoric, leaders and group emotions”....