Question

Several military officials meet to plan battle strategy. Captain Biggs thinks that General Olsen’s strategy will be ineffective and deadly for American soldiers, but Biggs does not speak out. He is worried that others will see him as an ignorant coward. Biggs’s response in this situation best illustrates how the concept of ____________ applies to groupthink.
a. social censure
b. self-awareness
c. intellectual isolation
d. self-censorship

Answer 1

Answer:

The right answer is:  d. self-censorship

Explanation:

This example concerns a combat situation in the military, but the described behavior is very common in many professions. The captain is convinced that the general´s strategy won´t be sucessful and that many lives will be lost, but he´s afraid of saying his opinion because other officers or even some of his own soldiers may think he´s a coward. Such examples have been seen in real-life cases in historical wars. Judging that he couldn´t stand repudiation or even a risk to his own career, he prefers to remain silent, to censor himself.