Citation

Cheshire WP. AMA J. Ethics 2017; 19(1): 91-97.

Affiliation

Professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Jacksonville, Florida, where he chairs the Medical Ethics Committee and leads the Program in Professionalism & Values.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/journalofethics.2017.19.1.msoc3-1701

PMID

28107160

Abstract

Human trafficking is a pervasive problem that exceeds the capacity of social and organizational resources to restrain and for which guidelines are inadequate to assist medical professionals in responding to the special needs of victims when they present as patients. One obstacle to appropriate disagreement with an inadequate status quo is the lure of group cohesion. "Groupthink" is a social psychological phenomenon in which presumed group consensus prevails despite potentially adverse consequences. In the context of the medical response to human trafficking, groupthink may foster complacency, rationalize acquiescence with inaction on the basis of perceived futility, create an illusion of unanimity, and accommodate negative stereotyping. Despite these inhibiting influences, even in apparently futile situations, medical professionals have unique opportunities to be a force for good.

© 2017 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

Language: en