Groupthink And Polarization In The Film

1. Groupthink and polarization impacted the kids throughout the film; the class decided that they should have a name, and a uniform to set them apart from the rest. The students then started hanging out with only other in the class, and created a handshake. Group thinking caused the class to join into as one, they all had each others’ backs; Tim was getting bullied by a few students, that weren’t in the cult, and a few of the members in the wave came to rescue and punk the other guys. Polarization occurred when more people started to conform; with more people supporting, the more powerful and daring people felt. Together the group was strong, but individually they were all weak, and won’t do half of the things they did.

2. Students were conforming the wave; they
The teacher asked the class if they thought another dictatorship would be impossible in Germany. The students were either not interested or did not believe it could happen. Mr. Rainer uses the foot-in-the-door technique to teach his class that a dictatorship in Germany can still arise. The foot-in-the-door effect occurs when you ask someone to do a small task, followed by another similar task, and by the end you’ll have that person doing most of your work. Mr. Rainer began by having the students rise from their seats, when they wanted to talk; then it was addressing him by Mr.Wenger. The foot-in-the-door effect influenced Tim’s actions heavily; after the class started wearing the white polos, he took all his shirts and burned them. Another incident where Tim was influenced by the foot-in-the-door effect, was when the guys were tagging and he decided to climb the building that was under construction to spray paint the wave logo. Tim then goes along and creates a website for the group. In the end, Mr. Wenger says it’s all over, but Tim doesn’t agree; being apart of the wave for him meant unity, family, and togetherness. He pulls out a gun and threatens to shoot someone, then shoots Bomber, and