Selections from a convocation address by Dr. Thomas R. Verny to the first graduating class of the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, California – 2003.

Our grand-daughter Paige sent a video message to Thomas Verny after a children's author had visited her school. The author had explained all about working and re-working manuscripts, and what editors and publishers do, and Paige said that she might like to be an author, too. I told her that I knew an author who was writing a book of poetry, and that he was working very hard. Paige then wanted to make a video to encourage him (she loves to make videos), and she composed an email message and sent her video to him.

The group mind is powerful. It can be dangerous: primitive, irrational and violent or, enthusiastic, supportive and calling for positive change. In the past, psychologists offered all kinds of explanations for the development and existence of groupthink. Novel investigative methods have provided new insight into how the group mind actually operates, placing the field on a genuinely scientific footing.