What term describes the phenomenon where group discussions enhance the prevailing tendencies of the group?

The phenomenon where group discussions enhance the prevailing tendencies of the group is known as group polarization. This concept refers to the tendency for group members to share their opinions during discussions, which generally leads to a strengthening of their initial views. When individuals in a group align and express similar viewpoints, the final consensus tends to be more extreme than the initial positions of the individuals before the discussion took place.

During group discussions, members are often influenced by the arguments presented by others, leading to an amplification of their original beliefs. For example, if a group of individuals who are already somewhat supportive of a particular political stance engage in a discussion, they may leave the conversation with even stronger convictions or more extreme views than when they started.

In contrast, groupthink involves a deterioration of mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment occurring within a cohesive in-group, while social facilitation refers to the tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of a group compared to when they are alone. Deindividuation describes a loss of self-awareness in groups, often leading to behavior that one might not engage in alone. While these concepts are related to group dynamics, they do not specifically refer to the enhancement of prevailing tendencies through discussion, which is why group polarization is the appropriate