In the article “In Groups We Shrink”, Carol Tavris states, “The more people in group, the lazier each individual in it becomes.” “The reason has more to do with the nature of groups than the nature of individuals.” In groups people think nothing need to be done, people depend on other people. In groups people hold responsibility back. In group people shrink. Personally, I agree with Carol Tavris’s opinion about in groups we shrink.
According to the article, one experiment shows that the same situation occurred: smoke began pouring through the events. Individual students are more brave to check the events then went out to report what happened. However, the students who were sitting in groups they did not move just rubbing their eyes and coughing. Individuals will even risk their own safety to intervene. But students in groups observing the same danger, they hold back. Thus, individuals and in groups think and act differently.
A famous proverb in chinese says, “One monk carry water, two monks together carry water, but three monks no water.” This means when there is only one monk, he can do everything by himself. He doesn’t have anyone to depend on. However, if there are more monks, they would become lazy the they don’t have water to drink, because they all don't want to carry water to share with each other. They just look at each other, hoping other monks to carry water. This situation is like Carol Tavris writes, “observers think nothing needs to be done because someone else has already taken care of it, and the more observers there are, the less likely any one person is call for help.” Therefore, in groups people think and act are differently than individual.
Personally, when my professor required us working in groups to do some project. I was always lazy,because I will depend on others to do it, hoping they can do all for me. If professor says we need to do project in individually then I will be more responsible and quickly spend time on it. Psychologists call my mentality “diffusion of responsibility” or “social loafing”. After reading “In Groups We Shrink”, I think we should change this mentality. Whatever the situation is we all need to be responsible and independent. Don’t shrink and become lazy.
As we have seen, In groups we shrink, individually, we become more brave and responsible. Although, this is nature, we need do some change.
According to the article, one experiment shows that the same situation occurred: smoke began pouring through the events. Individual students are more brave to check the events then went out to report what happened. However, the students who were sitting in groups they did not move just rubbing their eyes and coughing. Individuals will even risk their own safety to intervene. But students in groups observing the same danger, they hold back. Thus, individuals and in groups think and act differently.
A famous proverb in chinese says, “One monk carry water, two monks together carry water, but three monks no water.” This means when there is only one monk, he can do everything by himself. He doesn’t have anyone to depend on. However, if there are more monks, they would become lazy the they don’t have water to drink, because they all don't want to carry water to share with each other. They just look at each other, hoping other monks to carry water. This situation is like Carol Tavris writes, “observers think nothing needs to be done because someone else has already taken care of it, and the more observers there are, the less likely any one person is call for help.” Therefore, in groups people think and act are differently than individual.
Personally, when my professor required us working in groups to do some project. I was always lazy,because I will depend on others to do it, hoping they can do all for me. If professor says we need to do project in individually then I will be more responsible and quickly spend time on it. Psychologists call my mentality “diffusion of responsibility” or “social loafing”. After reading “In Groups We Shrink”, I think we should change this mentality. Whatever the situation is we all need to be responsible and independent. Don’t shrink and become lazy.
As we have seen, In groups we shrink, individually, we become more brave and responsible. Although, this is nature, we need do some change.