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taken whether a school has to be this interaction, your views may become established in a village. Such a decision stronger. This firm conviction is because has to be a group decision. We have also of the following three reasons: seen that when groups take decisions, • In the company of like-minded people, there is a fear that the phenomenon of you are likely to hear newer groupthink may sometimes occur (see arguments favouring your viewpoints. Box 7.1). Groups show another tendency This will make you more favourable referred to as ‘group polarisation’. It has towards capital punishment. been found that groups are more likely • When you find others also favouring to take extreme decisions than capital punishment, you feel that this individuals alone. Suppose there is an view is validated by the public. This employee who has been caught taking is a sort of bandwagon effect. bribe or engaging in some other • When you find people having similar unethical act. Her/his colleagues are views, you are likely to perceive them asked to decide on what punishment s/ as ingroup. You start identifying with he should be given. They may let her/ the group, begin showing conformity, him go scot-free or decide to terminate and as a consequence your views her/his services instead of imposing a become strengthened. punishment which may be commensurate with the unethical act s/ Assessing Polarisation Activity he had engaged in. Whatever the initial 7.3 position in the group, this position Give the class a short, 5-item attitude becomes much stronger as a result of scale developed by your teacher to discussions in the group. This assess attitudes towards capital punishment. Based on their responses, strengthening of the group’s initial divide the class into two groups, i.e. position as a result of group interaction and discussion is referred to as group those pro-capital punishment and polarisation. This may sometimes have those anti-capital punishment. Now seat these groups into two different dangerous repercussions as groups may rooms and ask them to discuss a recent take extreme positions, i.e. from very case in which death sentence has been weak to very strong decisions. given by the court. See how the Why does group polarisation occur? discussion proceeds in the two groups. After the discussion, re-administer the Let us take an example whether capital attitude scale to the group members. punishment should be there. Suppose Examine if, in both groups, positions you favour capital punishment for have hardened in comparison to their heinous crimes, what would happen if initial position as a result of group discussion. you were interacting with and discussing this issue with like-minded people? After Key Terms Cohesiveness, Conflict, Goal achievement, Group, Group formation, Groupthink, Identity, Ingroup, Interdependence, Norms, Proximity, Roles, Social influence, Social loafing, Status, Structure. 129 Chapter 7 • Social Influence and Group Processes Reprint 2026-27