u05d1 Bystander Help

Discuss an article you located from the supplemental text and the text readings from this unit. In u05s1, you read the Latane and Darley article, "Group Inhibition of Bystander Intervention," reprinted in your supplemental text as Reading 10. Incorporate information from the Latane and Darley article into your discussion response and list the full citation for the article. Remember to cite information from the text readings as appropriate. Consider the following questions:

What are some of the factors that determine whether bystanders help in emergencies? How can you increase the likelihood of people being helpful to others in need?

Resources

Attributes and Evaluation of Discussion Contributions. Professional Communications and Writing Guide.

The bystander effect is probably one of the most puzzling phenomena of group response to emergency situations. Latane and Darley (1968) found that the more bystanders are present during an emergency, the less likely the victim would receive assistance. The bystander effect has been realistically demonstrated in numerous and shocking emergency situations. Real life stories abound illustrating groups of people watching on as a victim in distress suffers while individuals, seemingly confused and hesitant, refuse to intervene. Latane and Darley found that when individuals in a group witness an emergency situation and a victim in distress, the most significant response data available to those in the group is gathered by asking the question: what is the behavior of the others (Latane & Darley 1968)? At this juncture, a group as whole can become paralyzed in pluralistic ignorance. People in the group interpret their sense of urgency through the eyes of others. At times an individual is prone to believe his or her thoughts are different from the collective group consciousness and therefore precedence to act is collectively deferred. When a group engages in this type of analysis, it results in a debilitating effect on the groups ability to act and the situation is often interpreted as a non emergency resulting in a lower response level (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2008). This can be true in non emergency situations as well. A lack of classroom participation, despite inquisitive tendencies on an individual level, can ultimately impugn the learning process. However, individuals in a group may still feel a sense of responsibility. Latane and Darby found that a victim is more likely to receive help in the presence of one person as opposed to many. When a group witnesses an emergency situation, a diffusion of responsibility, or the belief that others will or should intervene, can result. The outcome can be disastrous for the victim as a group may appear unaccountable and unresponsive, while on the individual level a sense of responsibility remains. This phenomenon is enhanced through anonymity. However, diffusion of responsibility can be overcome through the activity of courageous and competent leadership that other group members feel a sense of confidence to follow. Opportunities to lend assistance to others are also subject to sociocultural norms as well (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2008). Collectivistists may be more likely to help ingroup members as opposed to outgroup members. Conversely, individualistic cultures appear to be more prone to volunteer and provide charitable aid to outgroup affiliations. It seems prevalent that in abstract types of giving, individualistic cultures have a tendency to be more helpful.

In summary, although the paralyzing effect of bystander research is very real, one must also consider the strength of personal convictions and self sacrifice when considering helping others. A critical question to ask oneself is: to what degree am I ready to sacrifice my affinity for self preservation for others? I would also add that spiritual traditions that demonstrate values of self sacrifice and altruistic behavior as examples of esteemed individual and group character provide a means of defeating diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance. Furthermore, other psychosocial and cognitive components such as self concept, self esteem and attachment status may play an additional role in determining response levels of individuals to helping in the midst of group settings.

References Latane, B., & Darley, J. M. (1968). Group inhibition of bystander intervention. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 10, 251221. Kassin, S. Fein, S. & Markus, H. (2008). Social psychology (7th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618989966.