Daily Times

In March of 1964, the New York Times reported an outrageous incident.

38 onlookers stood watching as 28-year old Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death. A young woman, in the prime of her life, killed, while not a single witness attempted to intervene.

The murder of Kitty Genovese caused shock, disgust and disappointment among Americans, and prompted social psychologists to study the phenomenon. The bystander effect emerged as an explanation for the assumed apathy of the witnesses of Kitty’s murder.

The bystander effect proposes that individuals are less likely to help victims or sufferers in the presence of other people. In fact, the more people present, the less likely an individual is to extend assistance. This is due primarily to three factors: diffusion of personal responsibility since other possible helpers are also present, diffusion of blame, and thinking that another person is already taking action. In addition, the feeling of anonymity also makes it less likely for a witness to help.

The bystander effect seems to contradict what we think we know about human behaviour – that people are likely to be better versions of themselves in the presence of others. However, although later reports challenge NYT’s assertion that 38 people witnessed Kitty’s murder, none of whom called the police, real-life events, as well as experimental studies by psychologists, have consistently shown that the bystander effect is real.

As a matter of fact, one can observe it in routine life. Many of us have, for instance, been dismayed at the sight of a young child, struggling to catch up with her baaji while carrying heavy shopping bags, while her mistress walks ahead. We have been witness to street fights, with phones in our hands, but filming rather than calling for assistance. We have glanced surreptitiously at women being verbally harassed but quickly walked past minding our own business.

This, essentially, is the bystander effect.

Humans cannot be understood using the dichotomous concepts of good and evil

Learning about the bystander effect gives one crucial insight into human behaviour, and most importantly, one’s own behaviour. Although the phenomenon normally shocks and troubles, knowing our shortcomings only helps to address them. Therefore, certain measures can be employed to minimise the bystander effect.

Firstly, making eye contact with the individual in trouble makes us more likely to help them. Mary Valentine (1980) conducted an experiment in which she studied the attenuating influence of gaze, or eye contact, on the bystander effect. In her experiment, a female confederate dropped some coins at a bus stop in the presence of one, or two, other women. She found that women were more likely to help pick up the coins if the person dropping the coins made eye contact with them.

Secondly, and quite interestingly, the presence of security cameras mitigates the bystander effect. While the presence of other people makes us less likely to take action, feeling seen by a camera has the opposite effect. A study by psychologists in the Netherlands found that bystanders were more likely to take action against an individual who stole money in front of them while there were other people there as well if a security camera was visible, as opposed to if there was no camera. Therefore, security cameras can not only maintain records and help in preventing crime directly, but they can also push people to become more proactive.

Furthermore, teaching school and college students about the bystander effect may help to diminish its effects. The bystander effect is often evident when a student is getting bullied or assaulted, and educating students and teachers about it may contribute to lessening violence on campus. To counter the effect, it is important to think of oneself as the only person present there, making it crucial to take action.

Humans cannot be understood using the dichotomous concepts of good and evil. Human behaviour is complex and multi-dimensional. Many otherwise ‘good’ people may fail to help someone due to the bystander effect, which is effectively a psychological barrier to taking action. In essence, it is only through understanding and acknowledging our limitations that we can refine our behaviour to become the best versions of ourselves.

The writer is a freelancer