The Bystander Effect

Lily is thirteen years old and elevated for her age. One afternoon, she confronts a suspicious looking stranger near a unripened girl playing in the local park. The stranger takes to his heels when Lily challenges him. Lily?s bravery is the talk of the neighbourhood. On learning of this, a assimilator who is studying social psychology makes the comment: It?s simply as well that Lily?s usual playmates were not around or that little girl might not befuddle received any back up.

(Vaughan and Hogg, 2005, p.358)When it comes to assist others, studies have uncovered an likely paradox in social psychology called the ?bystander rig? (Weiten 2007, p.684). The bystander effect is a theory of pro-social or helping behaviour (Vaughan and Hogg, 2005, p. 538) and is outlined as ?the phenomenon that the more people present when help is undeniable the less likely any one of them is to provide attention? (Penguin Dictionary of Psychology 1985, p.104).

This essay will critically talk about the above scenario, referring to the social psychology student?s comments, utilise the ?bystander effect? theory of pro-social behaviour as its framework. Factors which influence ?bystander discussion? and what makes it more or less likely that a mortal will help a stranger will withal be identified and examined.

In the above scenario we see Lily confronted with a situation involving a potential predator.



Lily, even though tall for her age, is still perceived as considerably young at only thirteen to confront a male bighearted alone and human logic suggests that had Lily?s friends been present there would have been ?safety in numbers? and therefore a correspondingly greater probability that someone will help (School of Health and Human Services 2007, p.13).

However, Darley and Latane (1968, p. 377) founders in the area of helping behaviour and bystander effect research argue that when...

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