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... ay have failed to intervene or report the emergency, that there were few signs of apathy and indifference thought to distinguish "unresponsive bystanders." When asked about the incident afterwards, subjects often responded with concern as to whether or not the victim was "all right. " Many of the seemingly apathetic subjects showed physical signs of nervousness, possibly more than the subjects who did respond. Darley and Latane argue that the unresponsive subjects simply did not respond because they were still in a state of decision making. They claim that these people are not "dehumanized by urbanization" or "depersonalized by living in the cold society. " I personally believe that the explanation for the increased physical nervousness is that the unresponsive subjects were fearful of the consequences for something that they knew was not morally right. Subjects that did respond did not show that extent of nervousness because they knew that they did what they should. I think that they gave the experimenters the answers they thought were "correct" because they were ashamed to report socially undesirable rationalizations, like "I didn't want to get involved. " I personally have no doubt that in a situation that demands immediate action, that a person does not take 3 minutes to respond.
If individuals really cared about others, they would not think twice about intervening to better someone else. I am presenting myself as a case study for "bystander apathy. " I personally am appalled by the thought of being able to look the other way when there is someone in need. I cannot possibly understand how someone can attempt to justify the fact that they did not intervene to help someone in distress when they know that they could have. I have been in a few situations where I have been a bystander of misfortune and am usually one of the few, if not the only, to intervene.
When I was in my first year of university, I went to a private Christian university in British Columbia. Perhaps this had an impact on the way that I think, and how leaving a person in need to fend for themselves is never a consideration. I traveled home quite often, about once a month. I was late for my flight home for Christmas break. As I was checking in, I heard a loud thud and a woman began to yell for a doctor.
I turned to see an elderly man lying on his back, obviously unconscious. Without thinking twice about it, (and not being a doctor of any sorts), I ran through people who were staring at the poor man and began to help him. I used the emergency training that I had, and checked for a pulse and checked his eyes and some other things that I simply cannot remember. I cradled his head in my hand and spoke to him in hopes of getting a response, after his vital signs showed me that he seemed to have fainted. After a few minutes, he came to, so I sat him up and attempted to comfort him as best I could. He told me that his wife was missing and that there was no record of her getting on a connecting flight.
After assuring him that everything was going to be Ok, and deciding that he was well enough to fare on his own, I raced to catch my plane. All the while I was surrounded by people that did not even offer to help. The fact that I was late to catch my plane or that it was possible that I would have to wait longer to see my family and boyfriend did not even occur to me. This is why it is unimaginable to me to not help someone in need. A strange thing happens when I refuse to be an apathetic bystander. I get ridiculed and told that I am too hasty with my decisions.
When I stopped to help a man who's car had broken down in - 40 degree weather and drove him to safety, my mother told me that it was not a smart decision. When I am forced to think of all the things that could have happened to me, sure, I think that I may suffer from a bit of naivete. But when I ponder what could have happened to the person if I would not have helped out, I do not think that I made a mistake. Something that I think is equally as unfortunate as the problem of bystander apathy is the general lack of ideas proposed to solve it. In California, and now in Alberta, there is a law that prohibits any medical doctor from leaving an injured person, no matter who they are. A good example of this is a soccer game that I attended this summer.
The guys' team of the league that I am in was playing a Spanish team. To make a long story short, things got very out of hand and the Spanish team ended up attacking and beating up our team. A mother of a Spanish player was trampled in the rush towards our side of the field. The doctor on our team ran immediately to help her, while behind him some Spanish players had decided to gang up on one of our players, which eventually left him unconscious. The doctor did not leave the woman's side until he was sure that she was all right.
I believe that this smoothed things out a little between the two teams; one reason that I am all for this law. I think that if cities increased their sense of community and responsibility for each other, that people would be more inclined to intervene in adverse situations. People are more likely to help someone that they feel a bond to. The media could also play a big part in helping prevent bystander apathy.
There are many anti-smoking and anti-violence campaigns that create posters and commercials for their cause. The media has a significant impact on urban life, and I believe that this could make a big difference. Many years ago, a young woman by the name of Catherine (Kitty) Genovese was stabbed to death in the middle of a street in a residential area in New York City. This case received little attention until several weeks later when it was revealed that at least 38 people had witnessed the event, but not one chose to act.
For more than half an hour, Kitty cried out for help to no avail. All 38 people chose instead to watch from the safety of their own apartments, not one lifted the telephone to call the police; something that could have been anonymous and did not require any direct intervention. Since that day, many have decided to focus on the anomie and social distance that seems to characterize cities and other urban areas. Physical proximity is now is totally unrelated to social closeness. Just because you are near enough to collide with someone doesn't mean that you are going to touch them; touch them with a kind word, a smile, or saving them from harm. Despite the people "in blue" and those of us nave enough to lend a hand, the city tells of a sad story.
A story that speaks of people who pretend that they don't care about one another; it's just too much hassle in their busy lives to reach out to another human being. Bibliography: Bibliography Gillis, A. R. and John Hagan. 1983. "Bystander Apathy and the Territorial Imperative" Sociological Inquiry 53 (4): 449 - 460.
Brenner, Arline R. and James M. Levin. 1973. "Off-Duty Policemen and Bystander "Apathy"" Journal of Police Science and Administration 1 (1): 61 - 64. Darley, John M.
and Bibb Latane. 1968. "Bystander Intervention in Emergencies: Diffusion of Responsibility" Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 8 (4, PT 1): 377 - 383
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Research essay sample on Catch My Plane Bystander Apathy People
