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Reader question: Please explain “group think”, as in “the dangers of group think”. My comments: Group think, literally, is what the group as a whole thinks instead of what each individual member of that group thinks. What group? You ask. Any group, a team, a club, a task force, an army, a bandit, a religious group or political party, whatever. As social animals, humans like to meet and congregate, and to form groups with people who share a common goal, view or outlook on life. And when a group is established, rules abound, either written or unwritten. People follow these rules expressly or tacitly. And to preserve purity and unity of the group, individual members tend to suppress individual needs for the common good. This is perfectly understandable. Selfish as each individual is, when they’re in a group, there is pressure for them to conform, to go with where others go and do what all others do. You may call it peer pressure. And it’s real. When in a group, people tend to care and worry about what other members think. They don’t want to appear odd or disruptive. They don’t want to assert themselves too much lest others dislike them. In a group, members want to be liked rather than be tolerated. Always. So therefore, while in a group, individual members tend to suppress their personal preferences and idiosyncrasies for the common good, or at least for keeping appearances. | 
