The social media age of filming emergencies and posting on social media rather than helping those in need demonstrates the bystander effect. The bystander effect was discovered by Latane & Rodine (1969) in a study meant to explore the willingness of bystanders to help women in need. The study concluded that a person’s desire to help decreases when there are more bystanders present; hence the bystander effect. The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon observed in emergency situations. Being a part of a crowd diffuses the responsibility, and it makes individuals want to behave in a socially acceptable manner causing inaction in case of an emergency.
Cherry (2018) gives the famous example of the murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese in 1964 to show the dangers of bystander effect. Genovese was attacked and murdered by a man outside her apartment. Genovese repeatedly called for help, but no one in the nearby apartment building came to her rescue or called the police (Plotner et al., 2015). The first attack was at 3:20 AM, and the first person to respond contacted the police at 3:50 PM. The story has been cited in psychology books in an attempt to understand the bystander effect more. Bystander effect has implication on social behavior; and there is a need to understand why it happens, beliefs and cultural pressures that make individuals fail to help those in an emergency situation when they are a part of a crowd.
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A common explanation for the bystander effect is the diffusion of responsibility. A crowd situation creates a diffusion of responsibility. Individuals do not feel the need to take action as they expect others to act and this often leads to inaction (Plotner et al., 2015). Another explanation is the need to act in a correct and socially manner. When crowd fails to react, individuals will take it as a cue that a reaction is not needed or appropriate. Using the case of Kitty Genovese, the 38 witnesses failed to react because they thought it was “lover’s quarrel,” and did not want to intervene in the ambiguous situation (Cherry, 2018). The characteristics of the case affect whether the crowd will react or not. People assess the situation to evaluate whether it is appropriate to respond or not and if the situation puts them in danger. When other people in the crowd do not act, one sees it as a signal not to respond to an emergency. The lack of awareness of what other people in the group are thinking leads to pluralistic ignorance making everyone to conform to the status quo.
Culture and social forces also affect how an individual in a crowd acts in case of an emergency. According to Allison (1992), human altruism is a product of culture. Culture can induce people to sacrifice their interests for the sake of others. Individuals from close-knit societies that operate on a group-orientation are less likely to be victims of bystander effects; they are more likely to be the first ones to act or lend a helping hand in case of an emergency. Cosmopolitan areas bring people from different cultures, beliefs, and traditions. In such places, there are those who believe in helping and those who do not help those in need. However, those who would typically help find themselves hesitating because they do not want to deviate from the socially acceptable behavior.
The beliefs about ‘self’ also affect helping behavior. A strong sense of self-efficacy increases one’s likelihood of engaging in the prosocial behavior. Personal characteristics such as one’s self-efficacy, empathy, and satisfaction with life can make one respond to an emergency because the feelings of empathy produce emotional pain that makes one react.
Bystander effect continues to affect social behavior. Individuals should educate themselves on bystander effect to avoid falling into the trap of inaction. When someone is in a situation that requires help, an individual is likely to offer a helping hand when he/she is consciously aware of bystander effects and how to overcome it.
References
Allison, P. D. (1992). How culture induces altruistic behavior. University of Pennsylvania. Available from http://www. statisticalhorizons. com/wp- content/uploads/2012/01/AltruCult. pdf,[Accessed: 2 may 2014.] .
Cherry, K. (2018, Mar. 12). The Bystander Effect: Why Bystanders Sometimes Fail to Help. Verywellmind . Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-bystander-effect- 2795899
Latané, B., & Rodin, J. (1969). A lady in distress: Inhibiting effects of friends and strangers on bystander intervention. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 5 (2), 189-202.
Plötner, M., Over, H., Carpenter, M., & Tomasello, M. (2015). Young children show the bystander effect in helping situations. Psychological science , 26 (4), 499-506.
