A recent report from the US Senant blasted the CIA for "Group Think" regarding its faulty intelligence of Iraq. What struck me immediately is this is a perfect definition of JW's policy of control. Consider the following from the link shown below. Red highlights in italic comments are mine.
http://www.exocortex.org/psych/groupthink.html
Group Think
This following is from the textbook "Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology". The characteristics of group think is something to be avoided. It's somewhat 1984-ish.
Necessary Conditions
- A cohesive group. (Proof of God's spirit?)
- Isolation of the group from outside influences. (Separation from "world", no marriage to unbelievers, friendship to outsiders condemned)
- No systematic procedures for considering both the pros and cons of different courses of action. (Even for "anointed" who are not governing body)
- A directive leader who explicitly favors a paticular course of action. ( Governing Body)
- High stress. (Pressure to conform through loss of family, threat of vindictive god at "Armageddon")
Symptoms
- Illusion of invulnerability, morality, and unanimity. (A "clean organization", Jah will protect/resurrect, "Jah has always one organization he has worked with")
- Pressure on dissenters. (Disfellowshipping, collective peer action for small deviations e.g. facial hair, 2-door cars)
- Self-censorship of dissent. ("Bible-trained conscience" is actually WTBTS programming)
- Collective rationalization. ("New light", "Jehovah will correct in his due time" )
- Self-appointed mind guards. (Programmed fear of apostates, "Don't even look!")
Flaws of Decision Making Process Under Groupthink
- Incomplete survey of the group's objectives and alternative courses of action. (WTBTS cannot be honest about its objective to prosper on the backs of it members/contributors, thus it cannot make informed desicions to increase its membership except to rely on its typical cult-tactics)
- Failure to examine the risks of the preferred choice. (Policy of "impending end" deflated by new understanding of "1914 generation" and other previous failed timelines. Risk: Massive defection )
- Poor and incomplete search for relevant information. (Publications very selective with literary sources and rarely referenced)
- Selective bias in processing the information at hand. (Constant awfulization of "world" regarding "signs of the times" and other negatives. Enforced image: unloving, cold society outside organization)
- Failure to reappraise rejected alternatives. (Note: First two Presidents of WTBTS are effectively considered apostate based on their rejected teachings)
- Failure to develop contingency plans in case of failure. (WTBTS increasingly reactive to apostate actions. After 1975 fallout and Ray Franz defection, only a severe clampdown on apostacy and desent. What is the plan when the GB dies off shortly?)