Hello, I’m that crazy person who stopped on the freeway to chase down a mangy, starving dog I spotted on my way to the grocery store. Some of you may have honked at me, and I’m sorry if I startled you, but I thought it safer for us drivers and the dog if I got him off the road. You see, I have this nasty habit of refusing to “do nothing.”
Darley and Latané (1970) coined the term “bystander effect” to describe a situation where multiple witnesses to an emergency fail to intervene because they assume someone else will take action. This phenomenon is particularly pronounced in densely populated urban areas (Gruman, et al., 2017) which is where I happen to live. This is why I stopped for the dog; I couldn’t assume someone else was going to assist the situation. A frightened animal on the roadway poses a potential fatal risk to motorists and, of course, to themselves.
Truthfully, the concept of bystander effect came to public attention by the tragic case of Kitty Genovese in 1964 (2017). Despite 37 people witnessing her murder, no one sought to act or seek help as she was stabbed to death (“37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector,”1964). Researchers have identified several factors that contribute to the bystander effect, including diffusion of responsibility, social influence, and a lack of perceived competence (2017). In urban settings, this phenomenon is compounded by the overwhelming sensory input and a sense of anonymity. As cities overflow with people, the diffusion of responsibility occurs, making it less likely that any individual feels personally accountable for taking action.
Rescuing animals in distress became my way of refusing to let this phenomenon take hold of me. When individuals witness an animal in need, they are often alone in their decision-making process, with no diffusion of responsibility. Choosing to act in these moments when I could just go about my business demonstrates personal responsibility and competence in a situation that demands action. Moreover, it fosters a sense of personal efficacy, transcending the perceived helplessness that sometimes accompanies urban living (2017)(Alleyne et al., 2019). “Doing something” becomes a tangible demonstration of one’s capacity to make a difference, even in a hectic environment.
I’ve realized that animals are often victims of our urban environment, and they desperately need someone to intervene. For human situations, I do live in a city and it is difficult to screen all the stimuli I encounter, but when someone yells “help” I look up. My defiance of the social psychological tendencies to shut out the world has the potential to help build a compassionate community in the hardest neighborhoods that actively works to counteract the bystander effect on a larger scale. As we navigate our crowded urban landscapes, small deeds, like giving a homeless man a water bottle or leaving food for stray cats, remind us that we can be the change we wish to see in the world.
Citations
37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector. (1964, March 27). New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20181108183955/https://www.nytimes.com/1964/03/27/archives/37-who-saw-murder-didnt-call-the-police-apathy-at-stabbing-of.html
Alleyne, E., Sienauskaite, O., & Ford, J. (2019). To report, or not to report, animal abuse: the role of perceived self-efficacy in veterinarians’ decision-making. Veterinary Record, 185(17), 538. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105077
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. SAGE Publications.
Tags: Applied social psychology, bystander effect, urban overload
The topic of the Bystander Effect is both so interesting and very important. Learning about Kitty Genovese was one of the most heartbreaking things to do, thinking about what she gone through gives me more reason to push for self defense training. In self-defense training, whether it be from taekwondo or other clubs, one thing is repeated when you’re being followed or chased, “go somewhere populated.” While it is one of the best solutions it still isn’t perfect, as going to a public space isn’t so everyone there can help you, but rather to increase the chance of at least someone helping you. Once one person tries to help, it can compel others to give aid too. People like OP (original poster) will give others the idea that they should help more often, which breaks the informational social influence of standing back when problems happen (Gruman et al., 2017, pg.247). Hopefully more people like you keep being helping others to change the idea supporting other (injunctive norm) to be the typical response when people are in trouble.
Reference:
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Wow what crazy statistics you included. The bystander effects are so strong. I wonder at times when people don’t step up to the plate it is out of fear of other consequences, finding it better to just let the next person deal with it. One study showed that dangerous emergencies are recognized faster and more clearly as real emergencies, thereby inducing higher levels of arousal and hence more helping (Fischer et al., 2011). This could impede on the urgency one feels to respond. Anyways, great work!
Works Cited
Fischer, P., Krueger, J. I., Greitemeyer, T., Vogrincic, C., Kastenmüller, A., Frey, D., … Kainbacher, M. (2011). The bystander-effect: A meta-analytic review on bystander intervention in dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies. Psychological Bulletin, 137(4), 517–537. doi:10.1037/a0023304
I have a similar encounter with dogs on the road, but these dogs wander around in our community. I worry that they might go out into the busy street and get, who knows? I go to the guards to notify them and wait for them to come out to help the dog in need. This has happened multiple times to me that owners leave their gates open only to have their pets roam around the streets. Thankfully inside the community. Again if they go out the cars and motorcycles are not pleasant people getting in the way with. Though yours is a bigger approach tackling the rescuing of animals. In talking about the bystander approach it is when more people are around, each individual is less likely to intervene in the situation (Ganti & Baek, 2021). There is also the idea of diffusion of responsibility, where a person feels that other people already took action to help already (Gruman, et al.,2016); but with what you stated about what happened with Kitty Genovese was a sad incident that could have been prevented if someone sought help or even tried to help the person in need physically, but alas, that was not the case. I can’t imagine the bystanders and Kitty herself witnessing and experiencing this phenomena. It feels unreal to not intervene psychically if no one else is helping in my sake at least.
Your act of recusing the animal in distress is something to applaud and should be an example of what a person should do in that or in other instances where people or animals need aid. There can be a ripple effect of what you did that others have witnessed your behavior in your community.
Resources:
Ganti, N., & Baek, S. (2021). Why People Stand By. Journal of Student Research, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i1.1390
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781506353968
This topic is so interesting to me, because although I was a witness to it and a participant, I never knew this was an actual phenomenon until recently. My friend and I were headed to the beach one day, and while driving down a busy road we saw a box full of stuff flowing out that had obviously dropped out of someone’s truck onto the middle of the road. As I usually do, I swerved and kept driving. My friend on the other hand yelled at me to stop and turn around. Freaked out I did what I was told, but asked her why. She told me that if we don’t do something about the box and assume that the next car, or anyone for that matter, will get it and move it out of the way, it may never move. This is because we always assume someone else will do it, someone else will take responsibility and by assuming that the problem may never get fixed. As mentioned, this phenomenon usually occurs in urban settings (Gruman, 2017), because when in a smaller town or with no one around it is more difficult to assume someone else will help or take on the responsibility.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
Your proactive approach to defying the bystander effect by taking action when you see someone in need is truly commendable. Your example of stopping to rescue a dog on a busy freeway illustrates the importance of individual responsibility and personal competence in such situations. Research has shown that the bystander effect is influenced by factors like diffusion of responsibility, social influence, and a lack of perceived competence, making it essential for individuals to step up and take action.
Moreover, your actions align with the findings of recent studies that emphasize the positive impact of individual interventions in breaking down the bystander effect (Fischer et al., 2020). In urban settings, where this phenomenon can be exacerbated due to overwhelming sensory input and a sense of anonymity, your choice to rescue animals in distress demonstrates a sense of personal responsibility and competence, fostering a sense of personal efficacy in a hectic urban environment. Keep up the good work in defying the bystander effect and setting an example for others to follow, contributing to a more compassionate and responsible community.
Reference:
Fischer, P., Krueger, J. I., Greitemeyer, T., Vogrincic, C., Kastenmüller, A., Frey, D., … & Kainbacher, M. (2020). The bystander-effect: A meta-analytic review on bystander intervention in dangerous and non-dangerous emergencies. Psychological Bulletin, 146(12), 1073-1104.