The Bystander Effect

Definition

The Bystander Effect is a psychological concept that was developed in the 1960s closely connected to the Kitty Genovese murder. It is based on the idea that the more witnesses present during an event of violence or duress, the less likely it is for those people to step in and help (Emeghara).

Kitty Genovese

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On March 13th 1964 at 3am in New York City, Kitty was approached by a man on the street outside her apartment. She walked away from him but was pursued. He seized her and began stabbing her and sexually assaulting her while she screamed. Witnesses in the apartment building watched this happen and one man said “Let that girl alone” but no one intervened. Other people on the street saw this happen and did nothing to stop it. The perpetrator left her alone for a while and then came back and began stabbing her again. All the while, not one witness called the police or came to her aid. After she was left for dead, the police were called at 3:50 am and arrived two minutes later (Emeghara) (Albert AP Psychology).

https://www.simplypsychology.org/bystander-effect.html

New York Times writer Martin Gansberg published an article at the time stating:

“For more than half an hour, 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens.”

The number 38 was heard on the lips of almost every New Yorker at the time (Emeghara).

M. Rosenthau published a book a few months later titled “Thirty-Eight Witnesses”

Currently, there is debate as to the amount of witnesses and some project that number to be much smaller (Dulap).

This terrible event was used to speak against the moral decay of America. Certain psychologists at the time pushed back on the idea that these witnesses were bad people.

The Study

In response to the public discussion of this event, Bibb Latané and John Darley developed research into the Bystander Affect. They used a five point model to define at which point the bystanders choose inaction.

Notice something is amiss
Define it as emergency
Asses personal responsibility
Decide how best to offer personal assistance
Act on that decision

(Emeghara)

“The first stage is physiological arousal. Arousal in response to the need or distress of others is an emotional response and provides the basic motivational construct of the model.

When we see someone in distress, we become physiologically aroused. The greater the arousal in emergencies, the more likely it is that a bystander will help since they wish to reduce it.” (Russel)

If at any point along this five-part progression the bystander says no or not me, then they will fail to intervene. Based on how many other witnesses are present, the bystander is more or less likely to intervene. The three things that hold people back from intervening are

Diffusion of Responsibility

The moral obligation to intervene is shared by a group and puts less pressure on the individual. Likewise, the blame for not helping is shared by the group. There is also the assumption that someone else will step in and help if is really needed. Latane and Darley ran social experiments to test this theory (Emeghara).

Evaluation Apprehension

There is a fear of acting in front of others and being judged for those actions (Emeghara).

Pluralistic Ignorance

“Pluralistic ignorance occurs when a person does not agree with a certain type of thinking but believes that everyone else adheres to it and as a result, follows that line of thinking even though no one believes it.” (Emeghara)

It is the ambiguity of the situation that leads to inaction. When others are not stepping in and taking action, the one observing falsely concludes that their inaction must mean that they do not see a problem with the situation.

Reflecting on the Bystander Effect

We do not study human phycology to just understand it and move on. It is valuable for us because it allows us to make choices are informed by our understanding. Now that we understand the Bystander Effect, we can make the choice to act and take personal responsibility in stressful situations. Most likely when we act others will join us. It takes bravery to stand up and say something in a room where everyone is silent and passive. But this bravery can save lives and we would want someone else to stand up for us.

Further Information

The Witness Documentary: This documentary about the Kitty Genovese murder is free with amazon prime. It dives deeper into the events of the murder and the public response to the event.

The Bystander Effect in the 21st Century: https://theconversation.com/the-21st-century-bystander-effect-happens-every-day-online-27496

The effect of social media on the Bystander Effect: https://www.pbs.org/video/retro-report-on-pbs-season-1-episode-3-modern-bystander-effect/

Sources

Bystander effect. (n.d.). Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/bystander-effect

Emeghara, U. (2020, Sept 24). Bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bystander-effect.html

Russel, J. (2020, Sept 17). Piliavin et al. (1969) subway study. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/piliavin.html

Who were Latane AND darley? Ap® psychology bystander Effect Review. (2020, June 01). Retrieved March 13, 2021, from https://www.albert.io/blog/latane-and-darley-ap-psychology-bystander-effect-review/