12 Angry Men
group techniques
Explain and analyze the small group problem-solving techniques employed by the small group members in the movie ‘12 Angry Men’.
Explain and analyze the small group problem-solving techniques employed by the small group members in the movie ‘12 Angry Men’.
I'm not quite sure what you are lopoking for in terms of group dynamics. I'm not a sociologist. Certainly the theme of one against many stands out. The action of the play begins as 8th Juror votes 'not guilty' against 11 votes of 'guilty,' from the other jurors. This creates an immediate antagonism from the other jurors (10th Juror shouts, "Boy-oh-boy! There's always one"), and we quickly find that the task of our protagonist is to convince these eleven other jurors, which he slowly but surely does. This is framed as an act of bravery, standing up against the group to do what's right.
However, at the end of the play, there is a chilling reversal, as all of the jurors switch their vote to "not guilty," except for 3rd Juror, at which point 8th Juror points out, "It's eleven to one...you're alone." This moment is pointedly characterized contrarily as one stubborn man, refusing to come over to the side of reason. Rose contrasts these moments to provide a strong point of view for the play, as well as characterizing the two Jurors.