Small Group Dynamics: The Risky Shift Phenomenon

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The small group dynamic I have chosen that we have not discussed in class is the risky shift phenomenon. The risky shift phenomenon is when you are a member of a group and your perception of risk is seemingly greater. This is because the idea of a group risk is much better than that of individual risk. Sometimes the individual risk is too much to bear in a person’s eyes. When there are more people taking the risk some people tend to think and do more things boldly. Whatever the consequences, they will not be alone. It will be shared. But even in a dynamic like this the risk, just like the gain or the loss, is felt by everyone. Groups also sometimes experience risk-averse people. They are people who tend to agree with the majority because they don’t want to make anyone mad or let anyone down. This is also known as cautious shift. There is also an inclination where the perception in a group’s risk can …show more content…

The first time being in a classroom setting where the teacher would ask for a show of hands on something that she obviously felt was a fun thing to do. Most of the time the kids who wanted to do it the most were first to put up their hands, but it was only after she would say something like, “It’s fun for everyone. Don’t you guys want to do have fun too,” that you would see other hands reluctantly go up. I know some of the kids didn’t care for the activity, but they didn’t want to be an “odd man out.” In my adult life I have seen it in a few civic organizations I am involved in. There have been many times that we have had to vote on things and based on what was said, the argument presented, some people who were die-hard “no’s” turned themselves into “yes’s”. If not for just the simple fact that they didn’t want to answer questions about why they disagreed. This is no way to be, but truthfully if probably happens a lot more than we think and in a lot more important and pivotal

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