Myths about Interpersonal Behavior
Myth: There is a ‘safety in numbers’: The more people present at an emergency, the greater the chances someone will intervene
It is scary to think that you could be murdered in front of bystanders and have them watch rather than intervene. Unfortunately, this is a more common occurrence than the human race would like to admit, and baffles most of the people who hear of it later. I bet you are thinking right now that you would not stand by and that you would help that person in need but in truth, probably not. In situations like murder, crime and injury, most of us are just not prepared to understand the situation and then change the outcome. The classic case is of Kitty Genovese that was murdered on a city street in New York and watched by some, heard by others but ultimately helped by….none. But why?!! Most psychologists like to think this is not a reflection of people’s natural behavior and is only because people are scared to act because of the unfamiliarity with the situation. I mean, when is the last time you saw a similar situation and knew what to do, what was going on, and how to change the outcome? Kitty is not the only one that has lost a life in the presence of others, In Manitoba an elderly women fell over into a snow bank on a busy street, she was not able to get up and froze to death. Let’s not forget about the Greyhound beheading incident not too long ago, rather graphic so if you want to know…google it. Probably the most famous bystander effect/obedience to authority would be Nazi Germany and psychologists believe that unfamiliarity with this type of situation and also seeing others also not intervening is part of the reason so many Jewish people were killed. This means that this could happen again! On a better note, psychology students that learn about the bystander effect are more likely to intervene than others so now you can be the ones that make the change.
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