Verified Document

Group Processes: 12 Angry Men Data Analysis Chapter

It is critical to remember that the jury is composed of 12 white men and that the defendant is a member of a minority. As a result, the groupthink is revealed in alarmingly prejudiced ways, with one of the jurors dismissing the defendant as a "slum kid," a sentiment that appears to be shared by many of the other jurors. It becomes clear that one of the reasons that they are willing to believe in the defendant's guilt is that he is different from them. This is an example of devindividuation. First, rather than acting as individuals, the eleven jurors are acting as a group. This causes them to lose some of their social constraints and act in ways that are considered deviant. Although racism was more acceptable during that time period, there was still some social taboo against suggesting that the defendant was guilty simply because he was Hispanic and poor. Furthermore, the fact that so many of the jury members are willing to think that he is guilty because of his group membership rather than his individual characteristics It is also important to understand the impact of the time deadline on the jurors. Juries do not have unlimited time in which to make a decision. However, much of the time constraint is imposed by the jurors, themselves, because they want to make a decision so that they can get be finished with jury duty and be able to move on with their lives. This creates a type of false pressure. Connie Gersick helped explain how time deadlines impacted the group process by the development of a punctuated equilibrium model that suggests that "groups go through periods...

One can see this displayed several times throughout the movie, most notably when the jurors ask about the time and find that is already after 6 p.m.
An interesting example of the collective effort model is when Mouse begins to speak about the angle of the stab wounds. He does not believe that the boy could have made the stab wounds. However, when it appeared that the rest of the jurors were convinced of the defendant's guilt, he did not speak up about his feelings (Lumet, 1957). Knowing that he is not the only person questioning the boy's guilt makes Mouse realize that discussion of the wounds is not futile. When he believes that his "individual efforts will be important, relevant, and meaningful for achieving outcomes" that he values, he begins to provide more input (Kassin et al., 2010). Eventually, this type of collective effort begins to transform ideas, as more and more jurors come forward with question and concerns that they had about the defendant's guilt. This leads to a change in the consensus in the room, though the audience is left to wonder whether the jury's newfound conviction that the defendant is not guilty is as subject to change as their original belief in the defendant's guilt.

References

Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H.R. (2010). Social psychology. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Lumet, S. (1957). 12 Angry Men. New York: MGM Studios.

Sources used in this document:
References

Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H.R. (2010). Social psychology. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Lumet, S. (1957). 12 Angry Men. New York: MGM Studios.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Juror Number 2 In 12 Angry Men
Words: 1045 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Communication Processes in the Film 12 Angry Men The movie 12 Angry Men is known for its portrayal of group dynamics and its demonstration of how a single dissenter has the power to change group opinion. In the film, 12 white men are in a jury, asked to determine whether the accused, a young Hispanic male, is guilty of killing his father. However, while it is tempting to view the film

Angry Men Despite the Fact
Words: 2435 Length: 7 Document Type: Thesis

We can talk here forever, it's all the same thing." He was anxious to get to a verdict because he had a baseball game to attend that evening. He briefly repeated some of the arguments given in court, but none which would indicate that the boy was a murderer, simply a child who had gotten into some trouble during his life. Question Seven De-individuation can be seen most clearly in the

Angry Men Is a Dramatic Representation of
Words: 761 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Angry Men is a dramatic representation of a jury deliberating the fate of a young man accused of murdering his father. It is also the tale of one lone juror who faces off against the others when he believes the defendant is innocent while all the other jurors believe him to be guilty. This lone juror, the architect, also known as Juror #8, proceeds to argue with the others, slowly

Psychosocial Dynamics of Twelve Angry Men Social-Psychology
Words: 3826 Length: 10 Document Type: Case Study

Psychosocial Dynamics of Twelve Angry Men Social-Psychology of Twelve Angry Men As a portrayal of a microcosm of society -- enhanced by its drill-down into the 1950s era in which the plot unfolds -- few films are as excruciatingly accurate as 12 Angry Men. The story lends itself to analysis of team dynamics and conflict resolution techniques, with the promise of extending beyond explicit attributes, such as an all-male cast, and

Group Cohesion Discussing Group Cohesion
Words: 3093 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Individuals trust that agreement speaks something relating to the fact. Complying with the group norms hence fulfils our requirement relating to mastery. When individuals privately, show their compliance since they trust group norms represent fact, the group has the impact of information. At the time when the chances are high, individuals are more inspired to take correct decisions, and hence correspond even strongly. Going away from the agreement weaken

Strategic Management Presentation
Words: 569 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

Group work completed for the strategic management project involving "12 Angry Men" and "Pret a Manger" was a useful demonstration of teamwork. The purpose of this essay is to document my personal and individual opinions and ideas on the work itself. This essay will discuss the work process, the division of labor and ideas on how the process might be improved in the future. Group work, for me, is great change

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now