The Bystander Effect is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases where individuals do not offer any means of help in an emergency situation to the victim when other people are present. This is because each person in the group assumes that someone else will help, so they do not need to get involved. Of course, everyone is thinking this, which means no one helps at all. This may seem like something minor, but sometimes, it can have enormous consequences.
1. March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was entering her apartment building in Kew Gardens at about 3:15 AM when a man stabbed her twice in the back. Genovese screamed something like "He stabbed me, help me!" and then collapsed. Several neighbors in surrounding buildings reported hearing her, but just assumed it was an argument between couples or a drunken fight, and they did not want to get involved. One man did shout from his window for the attacker to leave her alone, but did nothing as she crawled across the street to try and get to her apartment. The attacker returned 10 minutes later, beat her, and then raped her as she died. The whole thing took 30 minutes, and not one person tried to go and help her. 12 people claimed to have seen the attack, and many of them later said that they just didn't want to get involved, assuming someone else would obviously help her or call the police.
Another interesting case that I read about but won't write about because it would make this post way to long: Research the Murder of Shanda Shear. It is a very sad case of the bystander effect.
hello.
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This was my section that i had to read in the book and when i read what happened to that poor woman i was so upset. Can you believe that in twenty minutes the guy had time to rape this woman twice and stab her brutally and nobody put a stop to it for twenty minutes?!?! I was very upset. I understand that its not that they were evil, rather that they just assumed someone else will do it.
This case is very scaring yet interesting. It portrays the bystander effect so well. This case is a pretty extreme case, but I see how this happens all the time at school! As student council president you are almost obligated to go the extra mile and do things that typically no one else wants to do. For example, the last night of the shabbaton I was in the kitchen with Rabbi Gersten cleaning and packing things up. When Mrs. Kampf asked for some help obviously everyone just assumed that someone else would take care of it so no one stepped up to the plate. Now, I am in no way trying to make myself look good. In grades 9-11, I don't think I lifted a finger. I always just assumed that the seniors, Mrs. Kampf, etc would take care of it. It was only until this year when I realized how much work goes in to these things and how hard it is to step up to the challenge. And I even got to learn about it in psychology class!
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