Within The Crucible, the main threat may be witchcraft to the naked eye. To those reading in this day and time, the true threat is brought to light. That peril is the power of groupthink. This is dangerous because groupthink can manipulate the mind to do things that the affected is not aware of. As groupthink is featured prominently in both Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era, Miller uses the springboard of the trials to show that the influence of others is stronger than we think. Groupthink is the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. Groupthink originates with group polarization. “This means that a group of likeminded people reinforce one another’s viewpoints. Group polarization strengthens of the opinions of each person in the group (R. Henderson).” Going from real life cliques, to movies such as Mean Girls, or even in books such as The Crucible; groupthink and group polarization can be found anywhere. …show more content…
The Crucible has many, many examples dealing with groupthink and the power of suggestion. At the end of Act I, the accusations have begun. The first to point their finger is Abigail Williams. Her posse followed her lead and started spitting out names. If an individual is intimidating enough or have enough influence, they could make a change. Whether that decision or action is for the greater good or for evil is up to the leader of the pack. Abigail in this case is the leader and scares the other girls a little due to the experience she had with the death of her parents. All it took was one little quirk for the accusers to let it rip towards a