Warning signs of 'groupthink' in cults or groups... [1] 'An illusion of invulnerability, which creates excessive optimism and encourages taking extreme risks' Does your organisation, cult or group suffer from groupthink? Stephen Castro in this book argues that the Findhorn community in Scotland is a classic example of this dangerous phenomenon. The behavioural symptoms to watch out for are as follows: (1) An illusion of invulnerability, shared by most or all the members, which creates excessive optimism and encourages taking extreme risks. (2) Collective efforts to rationalise in order to discount warnings which might lead the members to reconsider their assumptions before they recommit themselves to their past policy decisions. (3) An unquestioned belief in the group's inherent morality, inclining the members to ignore the ethical or moral consequences of their decisions. (4) Stereotyped views of rivals and enemies as too evil to warrant genuine attempts to negotiate, or as too weak and stupid to counter whatever risky attempts are made to defeat their purposes. (5) Direct pressure on any member who expresses strong arguments against any of the group's stereotypes, illusions, or commitments, making clear that this type of dissent is contrary to what is expected of all loyal members. (6) Self-censorship of deviations from the apparent group consensus, reflecting each member's inclination to minimise to himself the importance of his doubts and counter-arguments. (7) A shared illusion of unanimity concerning judgements conforming to the majority view (partly resulting from self-censorship of deviations, augmented by the false assumption that silence means consent). (8) The emergence of self-appointed mindguards - members who protect the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions. Quoted by Castro from J. R. Eiser, Social Psychology (Cambridge University Press, 1986, pp 38-39). 'When confronted with information that challenges beliefs, the average New Age person reacts by not wanting to talk to you' Castro also quotes John Rowan, the author and psychotherapist, who noted that critical assessment is anathema to the New Age: "The general attitude of the New Age seems to be undiscriminating, and even to be against the whole idea of discrimination." When confronted with factual information that challenges cherished beliefs, "the average New Age person reacts by simply not wanting to talk to you any more - you have the wrong attitude and possibly the wrong vibrations." One ex-Findhorn member, actor Howard Whiteson, is quoted by Castro as saying: "What is presented to the outside world, and what actually goes on inside the Foundation, are poles apart. Forget talk of it being the forerunner to a Brave New World. The regime is more like something from Orwell's 1984. There are some extremely sinister things going on there." The main complaint made by this book is about the way that Findhorn has expelled people without giving them the right of appeal and then tried to make them into non-persons, ignoring them whenever confronted by them. It would be interesting to read Findhorn's answers to this book's charges, which do have a slightly obsessive flavour. It may be, however, that the community is trying to ignore the book, just as it has tried previously to ignore its author. [1] Warning signs of 'groupthink' in cults or groups such as Findhorn Hypocrisy and dissent within the Findhorn Foundation - Towards a sociology of a New Age community by Stephen J. Castro, published by New Media Books (PO Box 3, Forres, Morayshire IV36 OWB, Scotland; 1996, ISBN 0 9526881 0 7, £9-95). Reviewed by Nicholas Albery.