Groupthink and the Penn State Scandal

“Groupthink” is a state of mind that causes an organization to believe they are impervious to problems, which can lead to some very poor decisions. This thought may be what turned the child abuse scandal at Penn State University into the fiasco that it is today. Penn State University had been known for its “old school” mentality, especially on the football field, which was associated with a good moral foundation throughout the school. This perception of Penn State may have caused the organization to believe they were untouchable, and that no harm could possibly come to them. Of course, they were very wrong, and some very horrible allegations of child sex abuse were placed on an ex-coach, someone who had been thought to be a very upstanding citizen whose charity organization had helped many children in poor socio-economic situations. When these allegations first surfaced, groupthink at Penn State was at its most prevalent. People in a position of power failed to act on a very serious incident that had been reported to them, maybe because they thought it was impossible, and that there was no way that someone who had held a position so influential at the university could commit such heinous acts. Maybe it was the idea that it had been going on right in front of them, and they had failed to notice that caused this. Either way, groupthink could have been a major factor in these failures to act and Penn State University will be forever be remembered by this incident, when it could have easily been avoided if those in positions of power had not allowed groupthink to cloud their vision.