scholarly journals Why People Stand By

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nithya Ganti ◽  
Sori Baek
Keyword(s):  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Social Harm ◽  
The Many ◽  
Group Thinking ◽  
Perceived Helpfulness

Bystander effect is the phenomenon that describes how, when more people are around, each individual is less likely to intervene. While the bystander effect is an integral part of studying social behaviors and group thinking, the many caveats it presents itself with must be considered. Every situation differs based on location, people, and circumstance, so the idea of the bystander effect is not valid in every scenario, as evidenced by the various counter-examples and contradictory findings researchers have discovered. However, the bystander effect is still very important to study because understanding what encourages/prevents people from helping is critical to decrease the effect of the bystander effect to promote helping behavior. In this paper, we discuss the various factors that affect the prevalence of the bystander effect: perceived physical and social harm to the helper, responsibility diffusion, and perceived helpfulness.

scholarly journals A new typology of psychological mechanisms underlying prosocial decisions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvid Erlandsson ◽  
Hajdi Moche ◽  
Stephan Dickert
Keyword(s):  
Charitable Giving ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Moral Principles ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Personal Consequences ◽  
The Many

Charitable giving, volunteering, climate-friendly choices, and most recently changing one’s lifestyle to stop the spread of the coronavirus are all examples of prosocial behavior. Prosociality can be investigated from different perspectives including the “who-question” (which people are more likely to help), and the “when-question” (which situational factors stimulate helping?), but in this article we focus primarily on the “why-question” (which emotions and cognitions motivate helping?)Specifically, this article tries to organize and synthesize literature related to emotions, thoughts, and beliefs (i.e. psychological mechanisms) that motivate or demotivate human helping behavior. To do this, we present a new typology including four overarching interrelated categories, each encompassing multiple subcategories.(1) Emotions: (a) emotional reactions elicited by the need situation such as empathic concern/sympathy, (b) positive or negative attitudes toward the beneficiary or the requester, (c) incidental mood. (2) Moral principles: (a) personal responsibility, (b) fairness-concerns, (c) aversion towards causing harm. (3) Anticipated impact: (a) self-efficacy (e.g. “can I make a difference?”) and (b) response-efficacy (e.g., “is this cause/project efficient and worthwhile?”). (4) Anticipated personal consequences: (a) material, (b) social and (c) emotional costs and benefits that the helper expects will follow if she helps or if she does not help. Increased knowledge about the “who” (e.g. individual differences in demography or personality) and “when” (situational antecedents such as characteristic of those in need, or type of solicitation) can surely help predict and even increase prosociality, but we argue that to understand the psychology of helping we need to also consider the psychological mechanisms underlying prosocial decisions (the “why-question”).We compare our typology against related theoretical frameworks, and present the pros and cons with different methodological approaches of testing psychological mechanisms of helping, with the aim to help researchers and practitioners better organize and understand the many psychological factors that influence prosocial decisions.

scholarly journals From empathy to apathy: The bystander effect revisited

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruud Hortensius ◽  
Beatrice de Gelder
Keyword(s):  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Situational Influences ◽  
Fixed Action ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Dispositional Factors ◽  
Bystander Apathy

The bystander effect, the reduction in helping behavior in the presence of other people, has been predominantly explained by situational influences on decision-making. Diverging from this view, we highlight recent evidence on the neural mechanisms and dispositional factors that determine apathy in bystanders. We put forward a new theoretical perspective that integrates emotional, motivational and dispositional aspects. In the presence of other bystanders, personal distress is enhanced and avoidance and freeze-like fixed action patterns dominate. Together, this new perspective suggests that bystander apathy results from a reflexive emotional reaction dependent on the personality of the bystander.

scholarly journals The bystander effect in rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (28) ◽  
pp. eabb4205 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Havlik ◽  
Yuri Y. Vieira Sugano ◽  
Maura Clement Jacobi ◽  
Rahul R. Kukreja ◽  
John H. Clement Jacobi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pharmacological Treatment ◽  
Detrimental Effect ◽  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Helping Behavior

To investigate whether the classic bystander effect is unique to humans, the effect of bystanders on rat helping was studied. In the presence of rats rendered incompetent to help through pharmacological treatment, rats were less likely to help due to a reduction in reinforcement rather than to a lack of initial interest. Only incompetent helpers of a strain familiar to the helper rat exerted a detrimental effect on helping; rats helped at near control levels in the presence of incompetent helpers from an unfamiliar strain. Duos and trios of potential helper rats helped at superadditive rates, demonstrating that rats act nonindependently with helping facilitated by the presence of competent-to-help bystanders. Furthermore, helping was facilitated in rats that had previously observed other rats’ helping and were then tested individually. In sum, the influence of bystanders on helping behavior in rats features characteristics that closely resemble those observed in humans.

scholarly journals Do Individual Perceptions of Organizational Culture Moderate the TFL-Helping Behavior and the TFL-Performance Linkages? Evidence from a Korean Public Employee Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 89-107
Author(s):  
Jae Young LIM ◽  
Kuk-Kyoung MOON ◽  
Harin WOO
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Competing Values Framework ◽  
Competing Values ◽  
Government Employees ◽  
Employee Survey ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Many

Among the many potential organizational contexts, this study focuses on organizational culture, as it is critical for transformational leadership (TFL) behaviors to percolate into individual employees. Particularly, the study relies on the Competing Values Framework developed by Quinn and his colleagues. Relying on a Korean survey of central and local government employees, the study explores whether TFL influences employees’ perceptions of helping behavior and performance. Moreover, the study examines the moderating role of employees’ perceptions of organizational culture on the TFL-helping and TFL-performance linkages. The results demonstrate that clan culture enhances the TFL-helping and TFL-performance linkages, whereas hierarchical culture attenuates TFL’s relationship with helping behavior and performance.

19. Social harm

2021 ◽  
pp. 591-617
Author(s):  
Steve Case ◽  
Phil Johnson ◽  
David Manlow ◽  
Roger Smith ◽  
Kate Williams
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Social Harm ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Many

This chapter evaluates the idea of ‘social harm’, considering whether we should think of it as being separate from, or related to, what we have previously thought of as ‘criminology’. It begins by examining what social harm is, and the many criticisms that its proponents make of traditional interpretations of ‘crime’ and ‘criminology’. The social harm approach, a perspective that has become increasingly prominent over the past two decades, argues that state-generated, legal definitions of ‘crime’ are much too narrow, as they do not reflect significant (though not always illegal) social, physical, emotional, psychological, cultural, and financial and economic harms that can be inflicted by social structures, multinational bodies, and the state. So far, much of the work in this area has focused on broader theoretical and conceptual issues, but social harm perspectives have also informed important studies of a wide range of social occurrences and events. These have ranged from studies of the harm caused by corporations, human trafficking, genocide, austerity measures, intimate partner violence, and penal harm.

scholarly journals BYSTANDER IN THE CLASSROOM? THE ROLE OF FEELING-OF-BEING-CONCERNED IN THE PERCEPTION OF THE POSSIBILITY TO HELP UNRULY BEHAVING PUPILS AND ITS RELATION WITH SOCIAL COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

2014 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-73
Author(s):  
Aneta Mechi
Keyword(s):  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Bystander Effect ◽  
The United States ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Stereotype Content ◽  
Educational Situation ◽  
Available Information

With the aim of dealing with educational cross-domain problems that are likely to appear in each course regardless of the teaching domain, the teachers can either take the initiative to help or they can choose not to intervene. Despite the helpful recommendations to make all pupils participate (UNESCO) or no child left behind (NCLB in the United States), most teachers are unaware of their differential helping behavior when they are faced with an ambiguous or problematic educational situation. In line with the bystander effect literature and stereotype content model, the mechanism that underlies the decision of not helping is identified as the feeling that drives an individual to get into the given situation: the feeling of being concerned (FBC). FBC is supposed to redirect individuals away from hasty, biased conclusions and lead them to some distance from any information (i.e., social cognitive flexibility). It is hypothesized that the more one feels concerned by the situation, the more distance he or she tends to take based on the available information. In a current online survey, the participating teachers in training first gave their opinions about the proposed statements (i.e., the social cognitive flexibility measures), then they read one standardized scenario of the educational situation, and finally they responded to questions related to the perceived possibility of helping the pupils in the scenario. The quantitative results (according to ANOVA) show that the teachers with a high FBC report a higher perceived possibility to help and show a higher level of social cognitive flexibility compared to those with a low FBC. These results are supported by significant correlations and are discussed in terms of their implications for the teachers’ practice. Key words: bystander effect, feeling-of-being-concerned, helping behavior, unruly behavior.

scholarly journals From Empathy to Apathy: The Bystander Effect Revisited

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruud Hortensius ◽  
Beatrice de Gelder
Keyword(s):  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Situational Influences ◽  
Fixed Action ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Dispositional Factors ◽  
Bystander Apathy

The bystander effect, the reduction in helping behavior in the presence of other people, has been explained predominantly by situational influences on decision making. Diverging from this view, we highlight recent evidence on the neural mechanisms and dispositional factors that determine apathy in bystanders. We put forward a new theoretical perspective that integrates emotional, motivational, and dispositional aspects. In the presence of other bystanders, personal distress is enhanced, and fixed action patterns of avoidance and freezing dominate. This new perspective suggests that bystander apathy results from a reflexive emotional reaction dependent on the personality of the bystander.

Group size and personalization’s effect on Facebook message response rates

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane-Marie Fatkin ◽  
Terry C. Lansdown
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Recruitment Tool ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Diffusion Of Responsibility

Purpose The bystander effect is one of the most well researched and replicated phenomena in social psychology. It repeatedly shows that the presence of other people inhibits the impulse to help due to the concept of diffusion of responsibility. Recently, researchers have studied this phenomenon online in the context of e-mails, internet chat rooms, and discussion forums. The results provide evidence that the presence of “virtual” others decreases the likelihood of helping behavior. Personalization is another factor that strongly influences helping behavior. Referring to a person by name when soliciting help request increases the likelihood of receiving assistance. Yet, with the most popular activity on the internet now being social media, it would be beneficial to know if diffusion of responsibility and personalization also occurs in this part of the online world. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach To investigate the validity of diffusion of responsibility as well as personalization in a social media context, 176 participants sent out one private Facebook message soliciting help in the form of an online survey to one, three, six, or nine of their Facebook friends. They greeted their friend(s) by name or just said “Hi” or “Hi all.” Findings Responses to the survey provided strong support for personalizing the greeting, but did not support the theory of diffusion of responsibility. Practical implications This study has many practical implications. For one, with social media being used not only by individuals but by businesses and industries, it is important to know the most effective way in eliciting help and responses from individuals. It is also beneficial for researchers as well who are increasingly using social media as a recruitment tool to find participants. This study suggests that personalizing salutations is an effective way of eliciting more responses and raises important research questions about the validity of diffusion of responsibility in online environments. Originality/value This study also has originality and value in that it provides a start for understanding helping behavior in a social media environment as well as applying relevant social psychological theories to online behavior. It highlights the similarities as well as differences between offline and online human behavior as well as highlights the importance of personalization in online requests.

scholarly journals Bystander Affiliation Influences Intervention Behavior: A Virtual Reality Study

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110400
Author(s):  
Aitor Rovira ◽  
Richard Southern ◽  
David Swapp ◽  
Claire Campbell ◽  
Jian J. Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
Bystander Behavior ◽  
Virtual Character ◽  
The Social ◽  
Traditional Work ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Social Identity Approach ◽  
Diffusion Of Responsibility

Traditional work on bystander intervention in violent emergencies has found that the larger the group, the less the chance that any individual will intervene. Here, we tested the impact on helping behavior of the affiliation of the bystanders with respect to the participants. We recruited 40 male supporters of the U.K. Arsenal football club for a two-factor between groups study with 10 participants per group. Each participant spoke with a virtual human Arsenal supporter (V), the scenario displayed in a virtual reality system. During this conversation, another virtual character (P), not an Arsenal fan, verbally abused V for being an Arsenal fan leading eventually to physical pushing. There was a group of three virtual bystanders who were all either Arsenal supporters indicated by their shirts, or football fans wearing unbranded shirts. These bystanders either encouraged the participant to intervene or dissuaded him. We recorded the number of times that participants intervened to help V during the aggression. We found that participants were more likely to intervene when the bystanders were out-group with respect to the participant. By comparing levels of intervention with a “baseline” study (identical except for the presence of bystanders), we conclude that the presence of in-group bystanders decreases helping. We argue therefore that, other things being equal, diffusion of responsibility is more likely to be overcome when participant and victim share group membership, but bystanders do not. Our findings help to develop understanding of how diffusion of responsibility works by combining elements of both the bystander effect and the social identity approach to bystander behavior.

Bystander Helping Behavior in Response to Workplace Bullying

2017 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 135-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Hellemans ◽  
Davide Dal Cason ◽  
Annalisa Casini
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Workplace Bullying ◽  
Bystander Effect ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Helping Behavior ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Perceived Severity ◽  
Passive Behavior

Abstract. This research examines the role of colleagues’ helping behavior in workplace bullying. Although colleagues are often able to intervene to support the victim or stop the bullying, passive behavior and nonintervention are more frequent. The bystander effect described by Latané and Darley (1970) has been studied in the context of school bullying and sexual harassment, but only rarely has it been studied in the context of workplace bullying. We tested the influence of the belief in a just world for others, self-efficacy, perceived severity, and causal attribution as determinants of three types of bystander helping behavior. We used a vignette describing a case of bullying in a vertically organized workplace in an online questionnaire survey, which was completed by 194 workers. The results showed that low self-efficacy was associated with nonintervention, that perceived severity mainly determined public helping behavior, and that both internal and external causal attributions contributed to explaining both emotional and public support for the harassed colleague. The results highlight the importance of training to increase awareness and recognition of bullying phenomena among colleagues.

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