The bystander effect is a social phenomenon that occurs when people in a group setting witness an emergency and fail to react or help. When this occurs, individuals in a crowd witness a crime, accident or other tragedy and become bystanders instead of assisting the victim. Social scientists have shown that the bystander effect is due to a change in behavior and decision making when accompanied by other people. A witness is more likely to help when he or she is the only one to observe the event. When large crowds are present there is a failure by most people to take responsibility for the situation. In recent years, psychologists have researched this behavior to better understand the Bystander Effect. What prompts humans to act in this way and what can we do to prevent it?
The bystander effect was first studied in 1964, when 28-year-old Kitty Genovese was stabbed outside her apartment building. Two weeks after the incident, the New York Times reported that 38 witnesses saw or heard the attack, but none of them tried to help the woman. To understand the event, social scientists Bibb Latane and John Darly conducted experiments and formed hypothesis. According to Latane and Darly, bystanders undergo a five-step psychological process:
- The bystander must notice the situation.
- The bystander must detect the scene as an emergency.
- The bystander must determine if he/she is responsible for helping.
- The bystander will select how they will help the victim. T
- The bystander executes the chosen option.
Knowing the steps that a bystander goes through, how do we explain why the bystander effect occurs?
Social Psychologists studying the bystander effect have found that social influence plays a major role in our ability to define a situation as an emergency. One study shows that bystanders will help in an emergency 70% of the time when they are alone, compared to just 40% in a group setting. Studies like these have promoted awareness in the social science and psychology fields on social behavior and influence. Research shows that bystanders will look to the other members of their group to decide how they should feel and act, creating the “diffusion of responsibility” effect. Many other factors must be considered when investigating the bystander effect. Variables such as mood, personality, and nature of emergency influence how individuals and groups respond in a crisis. The bystander effect is a common occurrence that can be seen in real world examples.
A famous event that occurred on October 27, 2009 shows a shocking example of the dangers of the bystander effect. During a high school homecoming dance at Richmond High School, a fifteen-year-old female student was gang raped by a group of ten high school men. It was reported that 20 students witnessed the victim being beaten, robbed and raped. None of the witnesses on the scene called the police or attempted to help the woman. Following the incident, seven of the rapists were arrested and the remaining men were found innocent due to lack of evidence.
The bystander effect also played a role in the Holocaust. The lack of international aid during the early days of the holocaust is an indirect example of the bystander effect, although they weren’t directly witnessing the horrific events, the lack of foreign effort is seen as one of the most famous examples of the bystander effect. There is evidence many of the German citizens witnessing the holocaust showed no effort to protest or stop the capturing and torture of Jews, while some even joined in the Nazi Anti-Semitic policies. The bystander effect has played a role in many of histories terrible crimes and events.
Studying the bystander effect helps psychologists better understand how the brain functions in social environments. Since the murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, the bystander effect has become a topic of interest for social psychologists everywhere. With the help of psychologists, we can use these theories to reveal more information about human behavior and social influence.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Edmund Burke
Psychology Topic 