The film 12 Angry Men depicts a jury deliberating a murder trial where initially 11 jurors vote for a guilty verdict and one juror dissents. Through persuasive tactics and effective leadership, the dissenting juror is able to transform the opinions of the majority. He acts as a democratic leader by encouraging open discussion rather than committing to a position. Over time, as he presents alternative interpretations of evidence, more jurors begin to side with his not guilty view. His leadership contrasts with the disorganized majority and helps convince all jurors of reasonable doubt. The film demonstrates how dissent can stimulate divergent thinking and challenge unquestioned opinions of a previously steadfast majority.

1. 12 Angry Men
How a lone dissenter can transform the opinions of a steadfast majority

2. The dynamics of group decision-making is the central focus in the film 12 Angry
Men. The film depicts a jury attempting to render a unanimous verdict in the murder trial
of a teenage boy. The process whereby the decision is reached illustrates a situation
where a minority transforms the opinion of a majority by exerting persuasive tactics and
demonstrating effective leadership.
The situational and behavioral elements of majority group processes were evident
from the onset of the film. A plethora of characteristics made this particular jury
especially prone to conformity: it was a fairly homogeneous group of men isolated within
a locked room (Film, 5:50), operating in a high stress atmosphere of heat and time
concerns, with pressure to come to a unanimous decision (Nemeth, Lecture 7/12/04;
Brown 133). Conformity was apparent upon the initial hand vote; we can infer that
informational and normative influences played a role. A freeze frame in the middle of
the hand vote revealed six men with their hands up, while the others looked around (Film
11:25; see Illustration 1). According to the theory of informational influence, those who
were less certain of the not-guilty position would have seen the original six raise their
hands and believed that “truth lies in numbers.” The characters Muscles and the
Immigrant likely fit into this camp, as they were slow to raise their hands and originally
sided with the prosecution. Normative influence was also evident in that others who
were on the fence about the issue may have sided with the initial majority in order to
avoid being seen as the “odd man out.” The Old Man certainly would fit in this category,
as he was one of the last to raise his hand and the first to be persuaded (Brown 132-135).
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3. The behavior of those jurors who originally voted guilty showed blatant signs of
the limitations of decision-making based on majority processes (Nemeth, Lecture
7/19/04). When these men first took turns explaining their position, a polarization effect
occurred; they gained added confidence in their position due to strength in numbers and
the full range of supportive evidence that comes from collective expression (Nemeth,
Lecture 7/29/04). There was a clear majority group sentiment that was expressed as the
eleven all focused their attention on Fonda, the lone dissenter (see Illustration 2). The
Adman illustrated it well when he said: “It’s up to the group of us to convince (Fonda)
that he’s wrong and we’re right” (Film, 15:33). When Fonda hypothesized new ways of
looking at “the facts,” the other jurors illustrated their disinterest by playing side games,
interrupting him, and shouting “Why is this important?!” Apparently, they were under the
influence of groupthink processes in that they were only interested in information
supporting their majority position (Nemeth, Lecture 7/28/04). When they gave such
evidence, they used the majority strategy, limiting their rationale to the “cold, hard facts”
presented by the prosecution. They spoke as if their evidence was unquestionably true
and did not attempt to challenge or reappraise the alternatives in any novel way.
Under majority influence, the decision making process showed symptoms of
groupthink (Nemeth, Lecture 7/27/04). Stereotyping of the opponent was apparent in the
prejudiced references to “those slum kids” (Film, 14:40), and there were pressures to
maintain conformity by mind-guards such as the juror who exclaimed, “Look, you voted
guilty, whose side are you on?” Mind-guards serve to encourage agreement by declaring
those who deviate from the majority as disloyal. Self-censorship also occurred when
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4. people laughed at something the Adman said, so he didn’t finish his thought (Film,
1:01:15).
Despite the strong pressures of the majority, Fonda’s presentation of unique
interpretations of the facts eventually stimulated divergent thinking in the majority
members. At one point, Mouse, while outwardly remaining in the majority, states that the
angle of the man’s stab wound had been bothering him, in that he didn’t think it could
have caused by the boy (Film, 1:12:30). The fact that he finally presented his idea to the
group illustrates the fact that minority influence tends to foster a wider search for
information from all sides (Nemeth, Lecture 7/13/04). As new information begins to
emerge various jurors show transformations in their non-verbal behavior. Smelly, at the
outset of the film, showed low-status kinesics through his posture, keeping his arms close
to his body (Nemeth, Lecture 7/9/04, Illustration 4). His gestures grew progressively
more confident as he shifted to the minority position. Proxemics also comes into play
with Mouse, who travels to Fonda’s side of the table when he begins to agree with their
position. This forms a visual of unity, reducing their interpersonal distances (Nemeth,
Lecture 7/9/04).
Fonda’s unwavering desire to discuss the issue led to the first majority-minority
shift, when the Old Man sided with him solely because he stood by his position (Film,
31:20). Interestingly enough, this shift was brought on by the group’s first anonymous
ballot, an effective way of reducing the effects of conformity (Nemeth, Lecture 7/13/04).
While the anonymous ballot led to a shift in the strength of the majority position,
in most studies of jury decision making, evidence suggest that 90% of verdicts coincide
with the original position of the majority (Nemeth, Lecture 7/12/04). In 12 Angry Men,
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5. Fonda was able to eventually convert the opinions of those initial 11 jurors through his
strong leadership. At the outset, Fonda took on the role of self-appointed Devil’s
Advocate and employed a democratic leadership style. That is, he outwardly expressed
no adherence to either position, but instead encouraged his fellow jurors to simply discuss
the case in an open-minded manner: “I don’t know if I believe (the boy’s story) or not,
maybe I don’t” (Brown, 2000, 94; Film, 12:40). This non-committal position serves to
shield Fonda from much of the hatred typically directed at lone dissenters (Nemeth,
Lecture 7/29/04). Studies have shown that such acquiescence gives subsequent
legitimacy (Hollander, 1958, 113) and lends credit to his emergence as a leader.
Over time, it becomes evident that Fonda truly believes in the not-guilty verdict,
and is thus an authentic dissenter. As studies on dissent show, an authentic dissenter (one
who believes in his case because he wants to) is significantly more effective at garnering
support and changing opinion than a Devil’s Advocate who is assigned to the same
position (Nemeth, Lecture 7/28/04). This shift from Devil’s Advocate to authentic
dissenter is evidenced by his becoming more outwardly aggressive. At the beginning of
the film he is seen slumping in his chair (see Illustration 3a), smiling frequently, and
speaking in a passive tone. As the film progresses and more jurors side with his case,
Fonda stands more often (see Illustration 3b), smiles less, and is more forceful in his
speech.
Fonda’s role as a leader also derives from his ability to identify with the other
jurors. Fonda’s character possesses the two orientations as identified by Bales (1950)
that parallel successful leadership: task and socio-emotional. The fact that Fonda’s
character is task-oriented is embodied in the scene where he crumples up a tic-tac-toe
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6. game the other jurors were playing while he was talking. This action serves as an
emphatic reminder to abide to their objective by not trivializing the group’s role as jurors,
reflecting the essence of a task-oriented leadership role (Film, 40:50). Furthermore, his
attention to the socio-emotional aspect of leadership is demonstrated by his offering of a
cup of water to the Old Man and by gratefully accepting a cough drop from Mouse.
More importantly, his statement that “prejudice obscures the truth” (Film, 1:20:44)
following a particularly distasteful outburst by Grumpy, results in the formation of a
common group identity, and allows Grumpy to gracefully enter the minority.
At the same time, Fonda’s strong leadership is contrasted with the poor leadership
posed by the majority. We witness that within the majority, leadership is undirected
(there is seemingly more than one “leader”), there is a lack of attention to procedures
(multiple members speaking out of turn), and members are unmindful of their objective
(playing game). Furthermore, there are many instances where the primary leaders within
the group prove themselves undesirable to the other majority group members. For
example, when Muscles threatened Angry for his attack on the Old Man, or when the
entire group left the table when Grumpy made his last stand of bigotry. These events
create resentment and alienation within the group, thereby reducing the membership of
the initial group identity. The combination of Fonda’s strong leadership and the defective
formation of the initial majority judgment offer the opportunity for the minority group to
transform a majority opinion.
The film 12 Angry Men demonstrates that a majority position and the processes
that support it are not infallible. The introduction of dissent has the ability to stimulate
divergent thinking that may challenge unquestioned opinions. This paper shows that
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7. through effective leadership, a minority influence can go so far as to convince eleven
previously pro-guilty jurors of a reasonable doubt.
Illustration 3
Fonda is slumped and appears unsure when he first declares his minority position. 12:08
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8. Fonda stands tall and defends his position as more people side with his case. 40:10
Illustration 1
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9. Mouse and others (highlighted in blue) look to their peers for informational influence.
They are the first to side with Fonda as the film progresses. 11:10
Illustration 2
All eyes are on Fonda when he does not side with the group’s decision. 11:20
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10. Illustration 4
Smelly demonstrated low-status posture when first asked for his opinion. 17:50
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