Don't Stand By

If I had to recommend a course at Penn State, it would be Social Psychology. It is awesome. That's not really my point though; I just wanted to bring up something I learned about in class. There is a social psychology phenomenon known as the bystander effect. This occurs in social situations. The more people who surround you, the less likely you are to take action. Diffusion of responsibility to other group members allows you to be inactive and have no responsibility. The bystander effect isn't something we consciously choose to be a victim of; it mostly happens automatically. Field experiments and observational studies have been conducted over and over to prove the existence of this phenomenon. Now that I have the boring aspects explained, I'll tell you how this relates to our daily lives.

Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, I'm sure you witnessed bullying. Whether it was on the playground or in a science lab- how often did you really intervene? Being surrounded by classmates while someone is bullied is a perfect example of the bystander effect. You probably diffused the responsibility to another member of the group, thinking "It's not really my place to say something" or "I don't need to get involved it's not my business". Unfortunately, it is likely that the other members of the group witnessing an act of the bullying had the exact same thoughts. I like to think I'm a good person, and I am without a doubt against bullying. Except... after learning about the bystander effect, I really wonder about the number of times I stood silent while someone else was hurting.

I cannot criticize people for being a victim of the bystander effect. That's really not my objective. I just want to make people aware of its consequences. Someone could collapse on the sidewalk on a busy city street. Someone could steal wallet in line at an amusement park. Someone could abuse their spouse in a park. Will you witness an event like this silently? Or will you engage in the situation and possibly be a hero? Luckily, simply learning about the bystander effect statistically increases the chances that you will engage!

Don't stand by, join in and lend a hand.