Understanding the Bystander Effect in Society

Sunmi Famule

Hour 1

Psychology Paper

Imagine that you were walking down a crowded hallway and you stumble upon a person passed out in the middle of the hall. You are not the only one who sees this person but you notice no one else is helping. Would you help the person or keep walking? Your answer is probably “of course I would help the person, it’s the human thing to do”. If your answer closely relates to the given one you are mostly likely incorrect. According to studies done by both amateur and professional psychologist you are more likely to keep walking than help that fallen person. This is something known as the Bystander Effect. The bystander effect is a phenomenon where no help is offered to a victim due to the presence of others and

the unspoken idea that everyone (not just one person) is responsible for taking actions in the given situation. Unfortunately this is not the only way people’s thoughts and behaviors are affect by social situation. Social situation influence individual’s thoughts and behaviors due to the bystander effect, deindividuation, and conformity.
The bystander effect is a phenomenon we are all familiar with, though many don’t know it.

In a study done by both Bibb Latane and John Darley, they measured the amount of time it took individuals to respond and act in a given situation based on the number of people present in the room (Bystander). They found that when individuals were in rooms by themselves and smoke filled the room, there was a 75 percent chance of the person reporting the smoke (Bystander). Whereas, when people were placed in rooms which contained other participants there was only a 38 percent chance of the people reporting the incident (Bystander). This unfortunately is not the only study which comes to a similar conclusion. A social experiment done by teenagers at a local high school shows the same thing. The students went around the school and asked their classmates and teachers if they would help a student that was found passed out in the halls (YouTube). All of those who were interviewed said yes they would. When this situation was tested, it proved the students to be liars. Over 70 (if not more) students walked over the body of the passed out girl (YouTube). Some even took pictures and laughed (YouTube). No one helped the girl because they all believed that it was not their job due to the presence of others. Looking at everyday life it is easy to see how the bystander effect can not only be applied to big situations such as the ones listed above, but also, to small ones. Such as, walking down a hall and walking by a piece if trash someone dropped. Most people (if not all) will continue walking and refuse to pick up the trash because it was not their doing. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to the fact that many people go without help in emergency

situations.
Another way social situations influence people’s behavior is through deindividuation. Deindividuation is the decrease of self-awareness in a group. This does not always happen whenever a group is gathered together. It happens however in extreme situations and when people develop pungent feeling for or against something. An example of this is the military. When people join the military they are stripped of their individuality (goodtherapy). They receive the same training, and the same treatment as everyone else (goodtherapy). They no longer see themselves as people/individuals. They do as their commander says, they don’t think for themselves. Another example is a hardcore sports fan. A study done by Paul Bernhardt showed that testosterone levels increases by 20 percent in a sports fan when their team wins and decreases by 20 percent when they lose (Sports). This makes the fan more susceptible to deindividuation because they often associate themselves to the team (Sports). This can cause them to lose themselves in the emotions of the event and act in out of the ordinary ways because they attach themselves to the fan thereby losing who they really are. Deindividuation can help explain why many who belong to a fandom often react strong to a person who does not like the fandom. It can help to explain why they often say mean things to the offender.
Conformity is another thing that influences people in social situations. Conformity is changing ones behavior or action in attempts to fit in with others. Our psychology class tested this phenomenon by having all students except one give the wrong answer to a question (Classroom). The student who had the right answer had to then choose to conform or stick with their guts. We found that the student with the correct answer conformed to the group (Classroom). Conformity is most likely to occur in situations where an individual believes they are surrounded by those who are more intelligent that they. This is most likely why many students often comply with ideas they do not agree with when they are in groups.