Groupthink Serving on a Jury Amidst Groupthink

Groupthink

Serving on a Jury amidst Groupthink

Jury duty -- that horrible obligation all American citizens have to endure. No one wants to do it; yet, it is a crime to try and unlawfully get out of it. Serving on a jury does pace the individual in a position of power to judge the innocence or guilt of another person. This is not a job that should be taken lightly, although many people do not wish to put for the great effort and time that is needed to serve on a jury without bias. Still, there are people's lives on the line. The defendants depend on he members of the jury to provide them a chance at an unbiased trial. Yet, the one thing that can hinder that process is groupthink. Unfortunately, groupthink can occur often within the context of a jury board, making it crucial for every individual to try to avoid giving in and just agreeing with the group and thus possibly place an innocent person in a horrible predicament.

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon which occurs within a wide myriad of social situations. Essentially, it is a term meant to explain the type of psychological stress a group can place on an individual, thus often coercing them to change their opinions or behaviors in order to match according to the group's standards. The process occurs often, in almost every type of social situation, where individuals are impacted by the various groups around them. Groupthink can make perfectly sane and decent people act in immoral or outrageous ways. The events of history have shown cases where groupthink can impact individual action so much, that everyday people can commit heinous acts without any other reason other than the inevitable influence of the group.

Serving on a jury board can present cases which invoke elements of groupthink. In many major cases, jurors might succumb to the influence of the group in order to make a decision on the case faster. Many people do not want to sit and deliberate with the others. Unfortunately, it is hard to fight the crowd, even if someone else's life and livelihood is at stake. Rather than fighting for the belief of an innocent defender, it is much easier to go along with the group and agree on a conviction. This can be incredibly dangerous, especially in major cases like murder, where the defendant's life is at stake. Many would unfortunately look the other way in order to satisfy the group, hasten the decision, and get back to their own lives.

Still, although this is a common occurrence, it is still cowardly. It is important for jurors to remember that they have the ability to harm or exonerate the person on trial, and that they must make their own decisions based upon the evidence that has been presented to them. Jurors must remember that they are supposed to serve unbiased, and that no pressure from the rest of the group should move them to make a decision that they do no whole-heartedly agree with. If there is still a question of doubt, the juror must resist the call of the group to vote guilty just to make the process go by easier for everyone else but the defendant. Allowing groupthink to influence oneself is a disgrace to the very judicial system this country was based on.