I believe that there are several dangers involved with group thinking, one of which I will explain. We all have our own individual identities based on our upbringings and family lives, but depending upon the particular groups we belong to, we develop certain stereotypes and prejudices about people and the beliefs of those people who are not members of our groups. As a member of the group we learn what acceptable and unacceptable behaviors of a member of our group are, and are taught that this is the only way to live our lives. If we choose to be our own person with our own beliefs and go against the beliefs of our particular groups, we have the very real fear of being cast out of our groups and having to wander the world alone. If a person is born into and raised in a family who believes and practices the rituals of the Ku Klux Klan, he or she will most likely practice the things he or she learned in his or her childhood as an adult. Why does this happen? As a child, our only source of support is our family group. If, at some point, we decide that we are not comfortable with the beliefs we are being taught, are we most likely to keep our mouths shut and not make a fuss for fear of losing our only source of support? If this is true, is it also true that we grow into adults and have our own families that we raise on the same principles that we learned? .
