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Kaz-D — The Bystander Effect - And How It Kills - Take Two
Published: 2010-11-02 23:50:32 +0000 UTC; Views: 3217; Favourites: 530; Downloads: 0
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Could You Care Less?
The Bystander Effect is a fairly well known term in the world of Psychology, but before half of you switch off right now - hear me out and listen to what I've got to say. Because the Bystander Effect, and the things that prompted its existence, have an affect on every single person reading this article.
"It was none of my business..."
The Bystander Effect came about around 1964 after the murder of Kitty Genovese. That's just another name to most of us, but the story behind her murder struck a chord with me years and years ago, as I'm sure it might with you. Kitty was stabbed twice in the back by somebody she didn't know. She called for help, her neighbours yelled for the man to leave her alone, and he ran. But nobody went to help her. Fifteen minutes later the attacker returned and searched for her, stabbing her again and again, abusing her and finally taking her money and running once she was dead.
"I didn't want to get involved..."
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What does this have to do with anything? Well police later found out that over 12 people had heard Kitty calling for help, her neighbours - most of whom respected her and had nothing against her. But still they thought that somebody else would go to her assistance.
"I thought it was a drunken argument..."
The point of all this, is to highlight the fact that society in general is becoming a brick wall to those who might most need it. Now the important thing is to remember that we shouldn't put ourselves in danger - but dialling three numbers never hurt anyone.
"I couldn't hear the television because of the racket..."
Next time you hear something out of the ordinary, or see somebody who could need help, think for a second longer before turning up the television to block out the noise of their screams, or quickening your pace to leave their troubles behind you.
"Nobody else was helping..."
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And if everyone thinks that...what happens? Okay it can be rare that every single person witnessing a crime or somebody in need of help, would be thinking well noone else is helping but it happens. One day there will be that situation, much like the above, where nobody helps because nobody thinks they should.
"Somebody else will know what to do, I wouldn't..."
Why wouldn't you? If you see a man collapse on the street, the minimum you need to do is go to him and dial the respective emergency number. You can do that. Most people on this earth know to do that. It's our obligation, as human beings - to preserve life as much as is possible.
"Ignoring never hurt anyone..."
Actually if we all ignored each other, and cries for help - the population of the world would quickly start to reduce in dramatic numbers. There are those out there who will help, but sadly there are more out there who would not. Don't be ignorant - if you can honestly say you would help somebody, please Favourite this article.
Together we are stronger
Corny, but oh so true.
Quotes used from the official NY news reports about Kitty Genovese's death. The Bystander effect can be read about further here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystande… and Kitty Genovese's situation right here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_o…
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Comments: 111
"It's none of my business."
Most dangerous sentence ever uttered by man.
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I find ir had to ignore someone in trouble... which has gotten me into trouble a few times :/ a while back I passed a homeless guy who was getting yelled at and things thrown at him by some idiots, so I went over the get them to go away. Ended up getting hurt. But I can#t ignore it if someone is in trouble, far too many ignored it when I was in trouble
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This is a wonderfully sensitive and important article. Thank you for posting it.
TheCandleobra
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I guess it kind of sucks when you look at the devil-may-care attitude society has today
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Having been a victim of the bystander effect, I never walk past someone who needs help. If even one person had done that for me, my life would be very different today.
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In Az you can carry a gun, and i do, not only for my protection but for others as well, and I am willing and quite able to use it, if I have to.
i would never turn away to let others handle it, and I would never use a gun unless I was absolutely sure It was necessary.
I have had to exhibit it several times to squash an incident in the last 20 years, once for myself and once for a kid being beat up.
Thankyou for reviving this article-I appreciate it very much.
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Kitty's story scares the fuck out of me. Shit, imagine what she would have been thinking, lying alone bleeding, nobody coming to help her. imagine how fucking horrible that would feel, on top of somebody just having attempted to kill her, her neighbours obviously saw she was in trouble and not one of them bothered to come to her aid... Imagine lying there dying, completely helpless, while the people around you don't do a damn thing.
I would not be able to live with myself if I didn't do my best to help someone who was hurt. Especially if no-one else was doing anything about it.
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I had a lot of thoughts on this subject once. I've also listened to many opinions of people I know- and where I live, the bystander effect boils down to the quote "No good deed goes unpunished" 
I don't mean "trouble" as in "bothersome" 
I sure hope it's a local problem, and things are easier for those willing to help out there. Still, I can't help but wonder: How much of the bystander effect results from our good deeds never going unpunished, whether we admit it or not?
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While I totally agree, just a slight defence for the herd:
The way laws are now make it very difficult for people in some situations to figure out what to do, because they can be held legally reponsible for harm if they get involved.
For example, If there is an accident on a major highway and the driver of the car is hurt and unable to get out of the car, which is in a dangerous spot where it may be hit again, there is a problem. If you remove the driver, and in doing so their leg becomes injured worse, you can be held accountable for that. Furthermore, it is dangerous to be on the highway when not in a car, so both of you are in much more danger.
BUT if you leave the driver in the car and stick to only calling the police, and the car is hit again and the driver is hurt further or killed, you can be held responsible for not having done anything.
Like a lot of laws, two people doing the same thing doesn't always warrant the same punishment and one may be let off the hook while the other isn't. It's a scary and difficult situation to be in, and some people are left with inaction simply because they can not figure out what they should do. Even with calling the police, as said by someone before, you could be missunderstanding a situation and be repremanded.
This is not to say that you shouldn't try. I only wish to make the point that not everyone is simply standing by because they don't care, but rather because they don't know what to do .
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I recently had a conversation with my two teenage children about this very type of situation. My son is 17 and my daughter just turned 20. We all came to the conclusion that in today's world we are all afraid of what might happen if we intervene. A girl/woman on her own won't get involved 'just in case' and even a young man may not be a match for the attacker. It's too true that we always think that someone more able than ourselves will go to the rescue but that would leave a huge weight on our conscience if no-one helped and the person was badly hurt, or worse. It's a sad state of affairs that we have come to in this day and age, that we are 'afraid' to help a fellow human being in a time of need.
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I read about this in a psychology book, and it definitely hit me quite hard. The general thoughts are: "Someone else is going to save her, so I don't need to try" which I think is terrible. Apparently the chances of someone helping you increase the smaller the amount of people who witness the crime, and the chances are even higher if you directly ask them to help you.
It still terrifies me though, and I always make sure to help people out.
Favouritingfavouritingfavouriting because I really think this should be spreading far and wide
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Personally I don't see the point.
Most people will already call 911.
People who wouldn't have dialled 911 before reading this, I doubt they would after they read those few lines of inspiring quotes. A rainbow and a few cute quotes aren't going to take away the fear to get involved, which some people have.
Furthermore, a human being does not have to do anything in said situation. It might be morally questionable, but you don't have to get involved if the life of another human being isn't worth your time.
tl;dr version: Article is a waste of time and space.
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Sadly, a lot of people in situations like that have the same exact thought "Surely someone else has called 911 already, why bother?"
In an emergency situation, every bit of information that can be provided to police is helpful.
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How do you even know a lot of people turn away and assume 911 has been called already?
I'm not saying people should care more, I'm just saying the article is a waste of space and time since nobody who used to run away in fear would help and dial 911, just because they read this article. It's just another hippie article about caring and love, with a few inspiring quotes. Nothing more.
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I thought the article was fairly well written, all things considered. You really want to know what's a waste of time and space? All the fucking demotivational posters and MS Paint shit drawings everywhere. And those are actually worth complaining about.
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I don't think so, quite a few demotivationals are actually funny,
and it takes a lot of skill to make a good joke with only a few words and 1 picture.
But yea, MOST, and I mean MOST MS Paint drawings are shit, but they don't get as much attention as an article like this. Which by the way takes absolutely no skill to write. I still stand by my point that people should be a bit more critical about stuff like this. As long as the article provides a nice slogan and a picture, and it promotes peace, it's awesome?
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I was referencing mainly all the subpar anime demotivationals, most of which are against the ToS in the first place.
People are attracted to 'feel good' articles as much as they are to inflammatory ones. Makes them feel like they're doing something important.
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Tschyea, I guess it just pissed me off seeing everybody applaud the author when he hardly did anything, just because his article promoted peace or love or w/e.
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Then you must really hate politics.
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Well, not so much politics, more politics in the media. But yea.
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Thanks for your opinion.
Actually it is the point. I dialled 999 and guess what, the ambulance didn't show. So if I'd JUST dialled and left it at that, - then what hmm?
tl;dr Stuff you.
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First of all, did you mean 911 (or is 999 the emergency number in your country?), and did you mean you were in an actual situation?
Or did you simply dial 911 (or 999) to test if an actual ambulance would come?
Plus, that's not really my point. My point is, this thread isn't really of any help. It's just a few pictures and a few quotes slapped together, and I truly doubt it'll actually change people.
tl;dr Very mature.
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Who would test to see if an actual ambulance would come? That's ridiculous. It was a real situation.
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Actully it's deprsseing reality that the bystander effect is only getting worse. The victum you mentioned is one of so many.
People are so wrapped in their little world that the thought of doing something that might change it is out of the question. My parents raised me with a good samartine sort of attitude, if someone so much as trips I feel like I need to ask them if they are okay.
And in someways it's a good thing it was lost, now it can be new and shiny again.
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I learned about this in psychology... to understate, it's a sad phenomenon. To help out someone in an emergency, people have to first notice the emergency; then interpret the event as an emergency; then assume responsibility for the emergency. If just one of these doesn't happen, the person does not help. In regards to the last, due to diffusion of responsibility-- the feeling of, if I don't help, someone else will-- makes it so that people are more likely to help if they believe they are alone.
So it's odd but true that you'd probably be better off having a seizure in the presence of one or two people than in the middle of a crowd.
To cite this info: Psychology, Eighth Edition, by David G. Myers.
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Actually we just discussed this in our psychology class and lots of the facts were not true, some people did call the police, but the police didn't respond, also the area was one that probably had lots of drunk arguments, so the idea that popped into their heads is not that untrue.
Also the view was not as good because there were trees blocking it.
Also unlike 3 times stabbing as they reported previously it was only twice (though you did say that).
(This is a rather new finding of people who re examined the whole case)
I also think that it is very important and I do know that the effect is lessend by people telling about it, so it definitely is good.
I am just saying that the story was blown up by the media and that it probably didn't occur exactly like that. I am not disputing that the effect exists it certainly does, there are also lots of other studies that proves it.
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Aaa I totally love and agree with the message of this, that if you see something happen at least ask if they're okay or pitch in with your effort to help.
Interesting to know this is called "The bystander effect" too because a friend of mine was doing something like this not too long ago. Not that anything happened but at my school in Health class we were given the chance to take a written part to CPR. It counted as a grade in the class and it also gave us the option that if you wanted to get a little CPR certification card [only viable for 1 year though, but it also only cost $1.00] that you could. I, of course, was all "hell yeah!" so I got it [and passed with only 1 wrong] while a friend of mine passed it but didn't take the card. I asked why she didn't and she told me "I don't want it because if that ever happened I don't want to be responsible" Which irked me because I was like, well if somebody was in a cardiac arrest in front of you and you knew what to do, you would choose not to do anything? Which, frankly, unless I'm wrong, if you called the emergency number they'd tell you what to do anyways but the concept of her just not wanting to have it for such a reason annoyed me.
I'm not sure what I myself would do in an emergency situation but I just really hope I wouldn't panic, and if it was like a car accident or something that I wouldn't stop and think but just go and do. In ways I think I would do that but until then...
Anywho, I'm glad you brought the article back! New to me so it was something I'm glad I had the chance to read =]
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I haven't had one of these experiences personally, but there was an incident at a high school only a few towns away from me.
It was at a home football game/dance thing. Right underneath the bleachers, a girl was being beaten and raped from a group of guys from the other school. A crowd gathered, but no one did a thing. There were even officers on campus, but no one bothered to run to them for help. Eventually someone got her to a hospital, but it was long after everyone had left. The group of boys attacking her were eventually identified, but the damage had already been done. The whole thing could have been avoided if someone would have stepped up. It only takes one voice, or one action. I would encourage anyone who reads this to be that one person. Things like this shouldn't happen. We aren't in the Dark Ages anymore (no matter what the media tries to tell you.)
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Over 12? It was 38 from what I've heard in a couple of sources. It's horrible! D:
I also think there a factor of a lack of community. I think it has been lost over the years.
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I always called this the ostrich syndrome. One will stick their head in the sand until the problems blown over. Ugh! And I hate it!
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There are no "bystanders" in my mind. It boils down to you are either a coward, or you are not.
I once clotheslined a guy who was running off with a woman's purse. The strap was snapped, but it was the best feeling in the world to hand it back to her. Then she bought me lunch, win win.
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Just a comment.
If you are a man, and the person you are approaching is a woman, unless they are in serious respiratory distress or unconscious, do not approach them unless they give you a signal that it is okay (or, you know, you're a uniformed officer or something).
A woman who is in even mild trouble is vulnerable, and she knows it; approaching her rapidly---even if you're saying things like "Can I help?"---can appear threatening, and make her panic.
Also, you don't know which women have been assaulted before. I nearly ran into traffic the other day because someone thought I was having some sort of breathing difficulty and tried to help me---but ended up nearly triggering a panic attack. If the woman says "No, I'm fine," unless there's serious reason to believe she's lying, leave her alone. If you're worried, call the police---don't approach her if she's giving you signals to stay away from her.
Women already feel vulnerable enough. Don't add to that.
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Too true. And this is entirely the reason I even took first aid/CPR in college. Don't think you'll use it? Already ran into two situations during the class and about 3 months after the certification for the basics. Both times it was men that had collapsed in the road, and I live in the southern L.A. area. Not a single person had stopped for the first man that was unconscious in the road, and had fallen off of his bicycle, and the second man was crawling for his life in traffic in the middle of the night.
It's unbelievable how ignorant some folks can be when they see people in trouble. Just a simple "Hey, are you alright?" or "Hey, do you need any help?" is all you need to embarrass yourselves with, guys. Then it's just a phone number a short call, and normally a short wait away, and you can save someone's life, instead of condemning them with your inaction.
Just... grrr!!!
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The bystander effect is definately a sad statement on humanity. I'm glad to see such a well written article on it 
As I Girl Scout I've learned that if there's anyway to help, it's your duty to do so. I even carry a breath mask in my purse just in case someone needs mouth-to-mouth 
I'm a nerd, I know, but at least I'm a helpful nerd
Glad to see that this article got put back up again, although it's strange it disappeared so mysteriously...
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Thanks for sharing this again.
Shame is disappeared the first time.
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We had an incident while i was out shopping once when there was a man who was sitting on a bench in the middle of the centre of town, kinda slumped over with his head almost touching his knees, swaying and drooling. I'd been watching him for about 10 minutes to see if he was moving or if he'd fallen asleep or something. I wasn't the only one. People walking past had seen him and just continued. As i was eating lunch, i pointed him out to my friend and wondered if he was ok and we watched a bit more. As i was doing this more people walked past and two women even sat either side of him and talked over him before getting up and leaving. Eventually we decided we should go over and try to talk to this guy and see if he was ok. As it turned out he was totally unresposive and stoned out of his mind. We phoned an ambulance after he fell off the bench backwards and rolled into a bush. He was in a terrible condition too. Fortunately there were two other people who came to help but thats a very small number compared to the number that walked past. I'm not trying to big myself up here at all, i'm just saying how sad it was to see so many people walk past someone who obviously needed help.
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People die from heart attacks and strokes within minutes. I am embarrassed that you waited so long to do something.
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Yes, so am I. It's embaressing but I suffer from anxiety and i'm somewhat afraid of social situations so I find things like this especially difficult. What worries me more, though, is that if my friend hadn't had been there, i may have just been another person who walked past. Fortunatly he was alright but that doesn't excuse the fact that I was almost too afraid to do anything about it. However, I've been trained in first aid since i was a student nurse, had it been something more severe i hopefully would have noticed and believe me, I wouldn't have waited then.
I've learnt from this experience though. I'm trying my best to be better at this kind of thing so i hope you don't think less of me for it.
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I don't. 
You sound like you are now prepared, not scared.
You've made it clear that you're aware of what could happen in that time frame, and took measures to better prepare yourself! One of the best lectures I attended at my workplace was delivered by a former Israeli Defense Force Colonel that rather emphatically pointed out that the uncertainty of untrained people ('what if I do something wrong?') enables the bystander effect, particularly in countries that have highly trained professional responders. Basic first aid and CPR, and PRACTICING them, are all essential skills that I really wish EVERYONE would learn at some point in their life.
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Thank you
I totally agree with you too, I think they should make it mandatory in schools and such. It is, after all, an essential skill to be able to help people in such situations and as you said earlier the difference in mere minutes and seconds can save someone's life.
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Ah yes. I just completed a major assessment on the Bystander Effect in Psychology. Kitty's case utterly horrified me. I'd like to think that I would have gone done to help her, but as my teacher said there are often many situational factors and well-researched theories that probably would have prevented them- at least psychologically- from doing so. All the same, Kitty could have been saved, and for those who heard/saw it and thought it was a "lover's quarrel", I say pfft. Since when is stabbing a petty quarrel?
In any case, it seems that the concept of altruism is fading quickly in our developing world.
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I have just left art college because I got bullied. I was sticking up for someone who was being bullied just because she was poor. I also stood up for another girl they were being unkind to because she liked a guy that we knew and he didn't like her back so they thought it was hilarious to humiliate her. I was the only person who actually stood up and said all this was wrong and I have paid the price. I got bullied so badly that I have plunged into a really bad depression and I have had to leave because it has made me so ill. And all I got from my parents was that I shoudln't get involved. I have been bullied countless times because I have stood up for someone and not wanted to follow the crowd. I know this isn't the same as the Kitty Genovese case, but my point is this kind of thing happens in everyday life. Bystanders can be more hurtful than the aggressors, and more damaging. Those girls are still probably getting shit because just me standing up to people wasn't enough...i was totally outnumbered. But if more people didn't just sit there and watch or say that they didn't want to get involved then maybe the bullying could have stopped...for them and for me.
I'll probably get bullied again for this in the future. I don't stick my nose in other people's business and I am a very private person and i generally just keep myself to myself but if someone is being bullied or is in trouble then I will intervene. And I have been told by people that I need to stop and just let it happen but I would rather do the right thing and suffer for it than do the wrong thing and suffer with the guilt.
Not sure if this comment was even relevant and I'm not comparing this to what happened to that poor woman but it just reminded me of how people generally just sit there and watch instead of doing the right thing. It makes me sad because if they were in trouble they woudl want help and they would be greatly hurt by people just watching and doing nothing.
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Maybe you shouldn't confront the bullies but boldly say to the victim, "Hey, the only opinion you should worry about yourself is your own."
Though, you have to really believe that yourself. Otherwise if they turn around an bully you, you'll get sad. :C
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The sad fact is, those people who told you to stop won't be troubled by guilt. Humans are herd animals, they believe the group is the right, even when it causes suffering.
That allowed the Nazi to commit their terrible crimes in Germany. It wasn't just a few soldiers, a large part of the population supported those actions. They reported Jews to the authorities, knowing what would happen to them.
The same sort of behaviour can be seen in most animals that have social structures. Few people are able to make independant decisions though it helps if you are already outside of the group to some degree.
The only difference is that humans have the ability to reason about their actions. That makes them far worse than the other animals.
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You did the right thing and I greatly admire you for it. Despite the price you had to pay, I'm sure you were at least able to make the other person aware that there was at least one person who actually cared enough about the situation to intervene. I would've done the exact same thing - even if I knew I'd get bullied relentlessly. It's always good to know you're not alone.
Though to be honest, I've never been seriously bullied before, so I can't say "I know exactly how you feel," I do know what it's like to be in deep depression. While most likely not for the same reasons, it was bad enough that I'd tried to commit suicide, sort of. (Though I obviously failed at that. Well, I fail at a lot of things and I'm a coward as much as I hate to say it, so it's not surprising I couldn't finish what I'd started, but this is way beside the point).
"I would rather do the right thing and suffer for it than do the wrong thing and suffer with the guilt." I agree with this.
Anyway, I'm not really sure what the point of me commenting was, just that what you'd said moved me. Also, I know I'm a compete stranger, but if you ever need to talk, I'm always here, always willing to listen to others, and won't ever judge. Am I weird for saying all this? ..Wait, no need to answer that... I already know I am.
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