background preloader

The Bystander effect and counteracting it

Facebook Twitter

Imagine walking across a street one day and suddenly an old woman falls to the ground. People gather around the woman who fell. Everyone is looking and waiting for someone to help her. But, why does nobody seems to be helping her?



Because each person there assumes that someone other than them is going to help the woman. That is the Bystander Effect. Defining the Bystander effect. What Is the Bystander Effect? Not knowing how to help. Diffusion of responsibility. Culture and socially acceptable. Kitty Genovese. The murder of "Kitty" Genovese that led to the Bystander Effect & the 911 system. Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was a 28-year-old woman who was brutally murdered outside of her Queens apartment in New York City on March 13, 1964.

The murder of "Kitty" Genovese that led to the Bystander Effect & the 911 system

Genovese’s attack lasted around 30 minutes as she was stabbed 14 times by a man named Winston Moseley. It was originally reported that there were 38 bystanders who turned their back on Genovese’s early morning cries for help, shutting their doors to silence her screams. Although that judgment was later proven to be inaccurate, the murder was considered the driving force behind our emergency 911 system today and the discovery of the term that so many psychologists are still researching: “The Bystander Effect.” It was around 3 o’clock in the morning when Genovese arrived home from managing a local bar where she worked. Kitty Genovese She parked her car and started walking towards her apartment building, when she noticed a man standing at the corner end of the parking lot. Genovese nervously kept walking.

Studio photo of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, 28. The Bystander Effect:The Death of Kitty Genovese. TODAYonline. SINGAPORE — ITE College East has suspended a student seen kicking and punching another in a video that has gone viral on social media. The police confirmed that a report has been lodged and investigations are in progress. When contacted, the school confirmed the incident and said the assault took place in one of its toilets last Wednesday (Feb 8). “ITE takes a serious view of the matter, and does not condone such acts. ITE College East will cooperate with police investigations,” the school’s principal Dr Yek Tiew Ming said in a statement. “The assailant has been suspended. Teaching bystanders to intervene. Breaking the Silence - How to be an active bystander. Countering the Bystander effect. 5 Steps model for Bystander Intervention - Darley & Latane.

5 steps. Passers-by help block off open manhole on road, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times. Two groups of Good Samaritans sprang into action the last two days - the first to help a boy trapped under a car after an accident, the second to warn other road users to avoid an exposed manhole. The sight of a lorry swerving to avoid an exposed manhole in Jalan Bahar spurred several Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers and passers-by to do something about the problem yesterday. SCDF fire biker Muhammad Hilmi Mohammad Fuad, 31, was travelling out of the Civil Defence Academy at around 10.45am when he saw the open manhole on the three-lane road. The senior staff sergeant rallied six others in the vicinity, including off-duty SCDF officers, to help. While some helped to direct traffic, others used barricades from a construction site to channel traffic away safely, SCDF said in response to queries.

Nearly 10 passers-by rush to rescue 9-year-old boy trapped under car, Singapore News & Top Stories - The Straits Times. Bystander effect: Training in skills makes people more willing to help, Letters in Print News & Top Stories - The Straits Times. She was hurt and bleeding in the MRT – then a kind stranger defied the bystander effect to help - The Pride. She was once on the train when she saw a girl in a different compartment faint.

She was hurt and bleeding in the MRT – then a kind stranger defied the bystander effect to help - The Pride

When no one – not even those in the girl’s immediate vicinity – helped the girl, she decided she could no longer remain a... She was once on the train when she saw a girl in a different compartment faint. When no one – not even those in the girl’s immediate vicinity – helped the girl, she decided she could no longer remain a bystander. She went to the girl’s aid and even stayed with her until the paramedics arrived. Posting on Reddit as Sallyg149, she recalled: “I’m still shocked that no one bothered to go to her – especially those nearer to her.

I’m sure many of us have been in a similar scenario. Thankfully for Sallyg149, kind strangers around her defied this bystander effect when she got into an accident yesterday (Jun 10) morning. Sallyg149 was making her way to work as usual. References.