The Social Psychology Behind “When You See Something, But DON’T Say or DO Something.”
The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do bad things, but because of those who look on and do nothing”. –Albert Einstein
You have just witnessed, right before your eyes, a situation where someone is seriously in distress. You would certainly take some sort of action to help the person in trouble, right?
Turns out, our social psychology often dictates whether or not we do take action. A social psychological phenomenon called the bystander effect has a powerful impact on social behavior, but why exactly does it happen? Why don’t we help when we are part of a crowd?
In this post, I’ll attempt to break down the social psychology of why people, “see something, but don’t say or do something.”
An article in the Wall Street Journal in 2012 described a heroic event that saved a young woman’s life. Laurie Ann Eldridge looked up from her garden one evening at her Cameron, N.Y., home. Ms. Eldridge saw a confused 81-year-old driver stuck at a railroad crossing nearby, oblivious to the train speeding toward her car. Ms. Eldridge raced barefoot to the car, wrestled out the disoriented woman, rolled with her down the railway embankment and covered her with her body, just seconds before the train demolished the automobile. Ms. Eldridge’s feet were bloody and riddled with splinters. The elderly woman, Angeline C. Pascucci of Le Roy, N.Y., was unhurt.
Psychologists have long been interested in exactly why and when we help other people. There has also been a tremendous amount of interest in the reasons why we sometimes don’t help others.
In 1968, Bibb Latane and John Darley wrote an article called, “Group Inhibition of Bystander Intervention in Emergencies,” which concentrated on the social psychology dynamics behind group decision making. This study investigated the powerful effect that the presence of other people have on group decision-making. As it turns out to take action, based on their study, an individual must first notice an event, interpret it as an emergency and take personal responsibility to intervene. Bibb Latane and John Darley found that the amount of time it takes the participant to take action and seek help varies depending on how many other observers are in the room.
In their study, subjects were placed in one of three treatment conditions: alone in a room, with two other participants or with two confederates who pretended to be normal participants. As the participants sat filling out questionnaires, smoke began to fill the room. When participants were alone, 75% reported the smoke to the experimenters. In contrast, just 38% of participants in a room with two other people reported the smoke. In the final group, the two confederates in the experiment noted the smoke and then ignored it, which resulted in only 10% of the participants reporting the smoke.
The implication of the study is that people reference others for any kind of behavior that is unfamiliar. “If they don’t act, we don’t act.”
This kind of behavior is called the Bystander Effect. The bystander effect is a social phenomenon that occurs when people fail to help those in need due to the presence of other people.
We often fall into a trap of inaction by assuming that someone else will offer assistance. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. Being part of a large crowd makes it so no single person has to take responsibility for an action or inaction and this dynamic is called “the diffusion of responsibility.”
To see this dynamic in action, watch the following YouTube Video of Bystander Effect
Kendra Cherry breaks down the social psychology and denotes there are two factors that influence behavior.
“First, the presence of other people creates a diffusion of responsibility. Because there are other observers, individuals do not feel as much pressure to take action, since the responsibility to take action is thought to be shared among all of those present.
The second reason is the need to behave in correct and socially acceptable ways. When other observers fail to react, individuals often take this as a signal that a response is not needed or not appropriate. Onlookers are less likely to intervene if the situation is ambiguous. During chaotic moments, people often look to others in the group to determine what is appropriate. When people look at the crowd and see that no one else is reacting, it sends a signal that perhaps no action is needed.”
The Collective Bystander Effect
Consider climate change as an example. Climate change is a global problem that requires a collective response and is especially prone to the bystander effect. George Marshal in his book, “Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change,” notes that “when we become aware of the issue, we scan the people around us for social cues to guide our own response: looking for evidence of what they do, what they say, and, conversely, what they do not do and do not say. These cues can also be codified into rules that define the behaviors that are expected or are inappropriate — the social norm. If we see that other people are alarmed or taking action, we may follow them. If they are indifferent or inactive, we will follow that cue too. This social conformity is not some preference or choice. This is a strong behavioral instinct that is built into our core psychology, and most of the time we are not even aware that it is operating.” The inaction on Climate change is just one powerful example of the collective bystander effect. Apply the same social psychology of the bystander effect to natural disasters, vaccinations and gang activity. This one social heuristic, or rule of thumb behavior is a powerful dynamic that needs to be fully understood in order to overcome it.
Factors that Help Overcome the Bystander Effect
As homeland security and emergency management professionals, it is important to know what factors may enhance people to “say and DO something when they see something.” Kendra Cherry breaks down several prosocial behaviors in her article, “How to Overcome the Bystander Effect.” Understanding these prosocial behaviors give professionals insight into how to pro-socially construct messages and education to and with citizens.
Witnessing Helping Behavior
“Sometimes just seeing other people doing something kind or helpful makes us more willing to help others. Imagine that you are walking into a large department store. At the entrance is a bell ringer asking for donations to a charitable organization. You notice that many of the people who walk by are stopping to drop their change into the donation bucket. As a result, you might feel more inspired to stop and donate your own change. Researchers have found that when we observe other people engaging in prosocial behaviors, such as donating blood, we are more likely to do the same.”
Suggestion for Homeland Security (HLS) Professionals:
· Use social media to highlight any helping behaviors of the public and award prosocial behaviors in the community.
Being Observant
“One of the key reasons people often fail to take action when help is needed is that they do not notice what is happening until it is too late. Ambiguous situations can also make it difficult to determine if help is truly needed. In the famous experiment discussed earlier in the article, participants were less likely to respond when smoke began to fill a room when the other people in the room also failed to respond. Since no one else was taking action, people assumed that there must not be an emergency. Rather than relying purely on the responses of those around you, staying alert and attuned to the situation can help you best decide how to react.”
Suggestion for HLS Professionals:
· Educate your communities on the social dynamics of the Bystander Effect and to understand they have the power to overcome this social dynamic to help others. Over time, education and observance of others helping will change the overall social culture where helping becomes the norm.
· Encourage citizens in your community to be mindful of their surroundings
Being Skilled and Knowledgeable
“When faced with an emergency situation, knowing what to do greatly increases the likelihood that a person will take action. How can you apply this to your own life? While you certainly cannot be prepared for every possible event that might transpire, taking first aid classes and receiving CPR training could help you feel more competent and prepared to deal with potential emergencies. Guilt Researchers have found that feelings of guilt can often spur on helping behaviors. So-called “survivor guilt” is just one example. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, some people who had survived the event felt driven to help others in the aftermath.”
Suggestion for HLS Professionals:
· Provide educational opportunities in communities to learn the necessary basic skills to help in emergencies. Promote a “Do Ask, Do Tell,” policy: ask more of citizens and tell citizens more about community threats.
Having a Personal Relationship
“Researchers have long known that we are more likely to help people that we know personally. In an emergency situation, people in trouble can help cultivate a more personalized response even in strangers by taking a few important steps. Simple behaviors such as making direct eye contact and engaging in small talk can increase the likelihood that a person will come to your aid. So if you are in trouble, you might be better off singling out an individual from the crowd, making eye contact, and directly asking for assistance than making a general plea to the group.”
Suggestion for HLS Professionals:
· Educate people on how they can signal people around them to get the help they need in a crowed or group situation.
Seeing Others as Deserving of Help
“People are also more likely to help others if they think that the person truly deserves it. In one classic study, participants were more likely to give money to a stranger if they believed that the individual’s wallet had been stolen rather than that the person had simply spent all his money. This might explain why some people are more willing to give money to the homeless while others are not. Those who believe that homeless people are in their situation due to laziness or unwillingness to work are less likely to give money, while those who believe that these individuals are genuinely deserving of help are more likely to provide assistance.”
Suggestion for HLS Professionals:
· Foster inclusive practices in your local homeland security and emergency management endeavors to overcome exclusion biases for any group of people. Break down any community barriers between in-groups and out-groups.
Conclusion
While the bystander effect can have a negative impact on response behavior by individuals in communities, behaviors such as altruism and heroism, can help people overcome this tendency and increase the likelihood that they will engage in helping behaviors.
Angi English is currently the Chief of Staff at the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and a HSx Founding Scholar for Innovation at the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (HSx 1701). She has a Master’s in Security Studies from the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (MS 1303/1304)and a Master’s in Educational Psychology from Baylor University. She’s also a graduate of the Executive Leader’s Program at the Naval Postgraduate School (ELP 1201). She is a Certified Part 107 Unmanned Aerial Systems pilot and serves as an Advisory Member of the DRONEREPONDERS and a Brand Ambassador for Women Who Drone, a Licensed Professional Counselor and aLicensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
