Essay about The Bystander Effect - 1791 Words

‘The Bystander Effect’ Lily is thirteen years old and tall for her age. One afternoon, she confronts a suspicious looking stranger near a young girl playing in the local park. The stranger takes to his heels when Lily challenges him. Lily’s bravery is the talk of the neighbourhood. On learning of this, a student who is studying social psychology makes the comment: It’s just as well that Lily’s usual playmates were not around or that little girl might not have received any help. (Vaughan and Hogg, 2005, p.358) When it comes to helping others, studies have uncovered an apparent paradox in social psychology called the ‘bystander effect’ (Weiten 2007, p.684). The bystander effect is a theory of pro-social or helping behaviour†¦show more content†¦Garcia et al (2002, p. 843) confirms the theory that when other bystanders are present responsibility for helping is diffused or reduced, however if a lone bystander is present he or she is more likely to assume responsibility. Also described as diffusion of responsibility (Latane and Darley 1968, p. 377) these findings indicate that this act of pro-social behaviour is perhaps the largest factor in determining how a bystander will respond in an emergency situation. This further explains the social psychology student’s comment in that with no others present it becomes impossible for Lily to rely on another to be responsible for taking action in this situation. We can then conclude that when passive social influence is present as opposed to proactive social influence, a person’s sense of responsibility is decreased because they feel as if there is no problem to be concerned with or are inept to deal with it and consequently, diffusion of responsibility ensues. Personal cost and reward is also a significant factor in bystander intervention and a bystander weighing the costs of direct and indirect helping â€Å"will usually chose the action that will reduce personal distress to the lowest cost† (Piliavin et al., 1981, p. 72). In Lily’s case her bravery was rewarded and she became the talk of the neighbourhood, however another individual may haveShow MoreRelatedBystander Effect And Crises : Bystander Effects1625 Words   |  7 Pages Anthony R. Hudgens March 24, 2016 Case Study #4 Bystander Effect and Crises Bystander Effect and Crises A woman by the name of Kitty Genovese was stalked and stabbed to death in an alleyway of Queens, New York, in 1964 (Pugh Henry). It is reported that there were nearly 40 witnesses who heard her screams for help but failed to do so (Colangelo, 2014). Why is it that some individuals tend to shy away from bad situations in which help is clearly needed? Kitty’s murderer, Winston MoselyRead MoreBystander Apathy And Effect Of Bystander1084 Words   |  5 PagesBystander Apathy and Effect Bystander effect, or also known as bystander apathy, is a social psychological phenomenon that attributes to cases in which others do not help people in need while others are around. The possibility of help is contrarily connected to the amount of bystanders. Basically, the larger amount of bystanders the less likely people will help the one in need. Various variables help to explain why the bystander effect occurs. These variables include: ambiguity, cohesivenessRead MoreBystander Effect Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bystander Effect The Bystander effect is a controversial theory given to social phenomenon where the more potential helpers there are, the less likely any individual is to help. A traditional explanation for this Bystander Effect is that responsibility diffuses across the multiple bystanders, diluting the responsibility of each. (Kyle et al.) The Bystander effect, also known as the Genovese Syndrome, was created after the infamous murder of â€Å"Kitty† Catherine Genovese in 1964, on the streets ofRead MoreBystander Effect Essay1637 Words   |  7 Pages Bystander or Bodyguard: An Examination of Who Helps and Who Does Not A bystander, according to Michael Webster’s New World College Dictionary, is an individual who is present in a given situation, but is not involved (Agnes, 2001). The word bystander does not always have a negative connotation, but in the case of bullying or an emergency situation, it does. In either scenario, a bystander is not helping in a time of crisis and this can have many negative outcomes. Many factors play a role in remainingRead MoreEssay on Bystander Effect1079 Words   |  5 PagesBystander effect, (Darley Latane, 1970) refers to decrease in helping response when there are bystanders around relative to no bystanders. 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The Bystander effect, also known as the Genovese Syndrome, was named after the infamous murder of â€Å"Kitty† Catherine Genovese in 1964,Read MoreThe Bystander Effect And Racism913 Words   |  4 Pagesthose they perceive to be similar to them, including others from their own racial or ethnic groups. We don’t like to discover that our propensity for altruism can depend on prejudice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We can connect the evidence provided to explain issues of the bystander effect and racism. For example, when people witness a situation of racism , they are probably only going to help if it is someone from the same racial group. However, if it were someone foreign to his or her group, then that would ignore the issue andRead MoreThe bystander effect Essay1223 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinitive example of the bystander effect, the social phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to help someone in distress if there are other people present. The bystander effect occurs wherever there is a situation that is ambiguous, or where a lack of action can be rationalized by a diffusion of responsibility in a large group, or where the presence of others presents a significant risk to the bystander such that he or she is afraid to provide help. The bystander effect results from peopleRead MoreThe Bystander Effect Essays1305 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bystander Effect Psy 110 - Asynchronous The Bystander Effect If you saw someone being attacked on the street, would you help? Many of us would quickly say yes we would help because to state the opposite would say that we are evil human beings. Much research has been done on why people choose to help and why others choose not to. The bystander effect states that the more bystanders present, the less likely it is for someone to help. SometimesRead MoreHistory Of The Bystander Effect1835 Words   |  8 PagesHistory of the Bystander Effect The bystander effect is a very famous theory. It has been indited about in many Psychology Textbooks. In addition, there has been many situations that have been associated with this theory. Nevertheless, there was one story that commenced it all. This acclaimed story went viral and what some would call, legendary. This story resulted in a woman denominated as Kitty Genovese being assailed and murdered by Winston Moseley. The reason this situation became so popular