The Bystander Effect, Essay Example

The bystander effect is one of the most interesting and worrying phenomena of society. This principle fundamentally states that bystanders witnessing an individual in a position of pain or suffering are only willing to help inversely relative to the number of individuals standing by. This principle denotes the natural apathy that is engrained in human beings, with very few individuals having the ability to overcome this principle.

In an emergency situation, I believe that any individual is able to intervene, relative to their ability and capacity to help in the situation. However, the fact that individuals are subconscious about their appearance towards the public, most people would only assist based on their perception of responsibility within the situation.

An emergency situation usually requires an individual to step up and take charge and responsibility to the situation. However, when a bystander is not related to the individual experiencing the situation, they would assume that responsibility is diffused. Every bystander assumes that the inaction of other bystanders means that their help is not required. This is also compounded by the fact that individuals gauge their need for action relative to the behavior of those individuals around them. When individuals do not react to an individual in distress, others also assume this.

The video found on the link above depicts how the bystander effect works. The girl laying on the floor could not receive any help as a result of the number of bystanders passing by. A number of the bystanders resort to evading her by all means, even leaping over her. At one point in time, a teacher, who would be presumed to be a figure of authority, evades the girl laying on the floor.

References

Soto, H. (Director). (2013). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_L8rGMiZ4 [Motion Picture]. Retrieved June 19, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB_L8rGMiZ4