In an emergency, the decision to intervene might depend on several factors within the immediate environment. Social psychologists argue that the presence of other people within the vicinity of an emergency may influence an individual's decision to take action or not (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2019). For instance, in the case study presented, Brenda did not get any assistance from the bystanders. Her situation should have necessitated the onlookers to take help. She, however, did not get any assistance, yet there were several people within her proximity.
There are several possible explanations for why Brenda did not get any help from the onlookers. First, the presence of several people when she fell on the ground may have created a diffusion of responsibility (Latane, & Darley, 1968). The presence of several witnesses during an emergency prompts an individual to feel that the responsibility to take action is shared. The individual, therefore, thinks that they are not compelled to help as others are likely to offer assistance. In Brenda's situation, the responsibility to assist was diffused among the onlookers; thus, none of them felt pressured to provide help. When the responsibility to intervene is shared among several people, none of them will likely intervene.
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Also, the bystanders in Brenda’s situation may have felt that intervening would shift the potential blame to them (Darley & Latané, 1968). The diffusion of the possible blame among the onlookers may have derailed the individual decision to assist. Studies indicate that an individual is less likely to respond in an emergency if he or she thinks others are present and will take action. The second possible explanation is that the onlookers felt the need to act in a socially acceptable manner in the situation (Cherry, 2019). When none of the bystanders took action, most individuals may have felt that a response was not appropriate in the situation. Social psychology studies have found that observers are likely to intervene less if the emergency is confusing. Brenda's case may have appeared ambiguous to the onlookers, which prompted them to remain unresponsive.
References
Aronson, E., Wilson, T. D., Akert, R. M., & Sommers, S. R. (Eds.). (2019). Social psychology (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Cherry, K. (2019). What Psychology Says About Why Bystanders Sometimes Fail to Help. [online] Verywell Mind. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/the-bystander-effect-2795899
Darley, J. M., & Latané, B. (1968). Bystander intervention in emergencies: diffusion of responsibility. Journal of personality and social psychology, 8(4p1), 377.
Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander intervention in emergencies. Journal of personality and social psychology, 10(3), 215.
