The Bystander Effect by The Peeps - 20 views
started by Grace Qiu on 23 Aug 12
started by Grace Qiu on 23 Aug 12
started by Grace Qiu on 23 Aug 12
started by Grace Qiu on 23 Aug 12
This link is linked to Psychology today, and it basically tells what David McRaney said. It explains what the bystander effect is and what the illusion of transparency and what plural ignorance is. This page also has links going that explain what a bystander things and the mind set, as well as telling you how to beat the bystander effect and how to speak up. The other links also have examples and studies that were performed to support the article on the page.
This article from the Washington post overviews an account of a man named Jerry Sandusky who preyed on young boys in Penn State's football team. Due to the bystander effect, no one reported or did anything about the abuse for decades. This may be human psychology at one of it's worse.
This is a simple cartoon clearly showing the overall meaning of "The Bystander Effect." The two ladies are assuming that he doesn't need any help and he'll be fine, the man in brown assumes someone else will help, and the other man assumes that the person lying down is being stupid. This 2nd man is making an excuse to himself to not help the person lying down. All of their eyes, except for the man in brown who seems too busy to consider helping, are trained backwards on the man lying down. They all notice him, but they are participating in "pluralistic ignorance," where they don't acknowledge that other people may be thinking the exact same thing that they are. Thus, in the end no one helps.
In a response to an assault in Richmond High school, the community is making an effort to educate the public about the bystander effect. To be able to recognize the causes of the bystander effect and take steps to overcome this psychological barrier as well as be educated in personal safety, one is able to reduce such tragedies from happening again.
This cartoon displays the bystander effect on a very simple level. In this drawing, a police officer is witnessing a crime yet he is not taking action to help the victim. Despite this being his duty as a police officer, he claims he "doesnt want to get involved". This is a very natural response from humans when we witness a crime of this sort, despite our ethical side knowing that this action is wrong.
Here in this link you will notice a total of 10 cases of the bystander effect being in use. These are all examples of which I found incredibly interesting, yet at the same time upsetting. In general, the bystander effect, when addressed to the public in a manner of showing proof, is sort of unfortunate. The fact that people can do something to help another person or a cause, and yet, they fail to act to make any sort of difference- usually a positive one. What I liked about these examples were that they were all very specific to previous events where the bystander effect was evident. The one example out of the ten of which I was most familiar with, was the famous picture of Kevin Carter. This photograph showed a girl resting, obviously in poor health, with a vulture in the background. Obviously a harm!!! Yet, Carter waited nearly 20 minutes just for the vulture to make a move. JUST FOR THAT ONE SHOT! And he did nothing to help this girl. This was a very notorious case of the Bystander Effect.
This image is definitely of major relevance to the Bystander Effect. In the Bystander Effect, especially when involving a group of people, and not just one individual--- people will notice someone who needs help- or that of a general cause. Here in this image, it shows people noticing a man that has fallen, clearly needing assistance- at least that would be the NICE thing to do! However, although his surroundings are concerned, they do not do anything to help, except for assume and HOPE that someone ELSE will help.
This is one of the most horrible portrayals of the Bystander Effect. A two-year old toddler was hit in China by a white car when she wandered into the street. Despite many pedestrians walking by, no one stopped to help. Even more appalling, another car comes and runs over her. This video sparked massive outrage across China. Having lived in China before and being immersed in the culture, it is embedded in the social norm to keep to yourself and ignore all others around you. In a massively populated country such as China, crowds become a constant backdrop to every day life that you automatically tune out. However, this is not an excuse for ignoring a helpless little girl injured in the street. This is the social norm taken to the extreme. Chinese people are not known for being compassionate towards strangers; there is nothing called a 'good Samaritan.' This prompted major discussions about the need for social change in China.