Bystander apathy

The reporter who first publicized the Kitty Genovese story, and later made it the subject of a book (Rosenthal, 1964), assumed this bystander apathy was caused by big city life. He presumed that people s indifference to their neighbors troubles was a conditioned reflex in crowded cities like New York. After this incident, hundreds of experiments were conducted by social psychologists in an attempt to determine causes of this so called "bystander apathy" (Latane and Darley, 1968). This research has actually discredited the reporter s common-sense conclusion. Several factors other than big city life contribute to bystander apatiiy. Actually, common sense suggests that if more people are present during a crisis, there is a greater ance that a victim will receive help. 

An editorial appearing in USA Today (1995) reflects concern for the bystander apathy in this incident. This editorial is given verbatim in Figure 14.9. It refers to psychological research to interpret the tragedy. Should the editorial have said more about the relevance of psychological research Was fhe reference to psychological research accurate and... 

Knowing what to do. When people know what to do in a crisis, they do not fear making a fool of fhemselves and do not wait for another, more appropriate person to intervene. The bystander effect was eliminated when observers had certain competencies, such as training in first-aid treatment, which enabled them to take charge of the situation (Shotland and Heinold, 1985). In other words, when observers believed they had the appropriate tools to help, bystander apathy was decreased or eliminated. 

This conclusion is also relevant for proactive or preventive action, as in safety intervention. When people receive tools to improve safety, and believe the tools will be accepted and effective to prevent injuries, bystander apathy for safety will decrease. This implies, of course, the need to promote a social responsibility or interdependence norm throughout the culture and teach and support specific intervention strategies or tools to prevent workplace injuries. 

It is important to belong. Researchers demonstrated reduced bystander apathy when observers knew one another and had developed a sense of belonging or mutual respect from prior interactions (Rutkowski et al., 1983). Most, if not all of the witnesses to Kitty Genovese s murder did not know her personally and it is likely the neighbors did not feel a sense of comradeship or commimity with one another. Situations and interactions that reduce a we-they, or territorial perspective, and increase feelings of togetherness or community will increase the likelihood of people looking out for each other. 

A breakdown at this stage of the decision model does not mean the observers do not care about the welfare of the victim. Actually, it is probably incorrect to call lack of intervention "bystander apathy" (Schroeder et al., 1995). The bystanders might care very much about the victim but defer responsibility to others because they believe other observers are... 

The finding that people often refuse to act in a crisis, especially when they can share the responsibility of intervening with others, is quite analogous to most work settings. Hence, it is important to xmderstand the factors that can influence this resistance, referred to as "bystander apathy." For example, people with a sense of social responsibility and comradeship for others at work, and who believe they have personal control in a just world, are more apt to intervene for the safety of others. It is possible to increase these personal characteristics among people through policy, procedures, and personal interaction. 

Hairston and McKee went into action, rather than succumb to bystander apathy. Why Were there special characteristics of the two heroes Both individuals did have some lifesaving training in the past, so as discussed in Chapter 14, they might have felt more responsible than others because they knew what to do. 

Principle 41 Actively caring can be increased directly by educating people about factors contributing to bystander apathy. 

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