Bystander Effect Essay

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Often times, in situations similar to the ones mentioned above, we assume that someone else is going to assist those in need. This diffusion of responsibility is said to be more likely to occur when the bystander is anonymous, a small number of victims are present, and when the victim is perceived to be dissimilar from the bystander (Schneider et. al., 2005). If anonymity is present then no one can link you to the scene of the crime and therefore, only you, yourself will feel the guilt of not helping. It is then easier to diffuse your responsibility. If there are a small number of victims, then it is just one person and you may be more likely to think that someone else can just swoop in and help whereas if there are many victims, then one may feel the need to assist because they see other people helping (a large group of victims is more noticeable than a small group). Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., and Coutts, L. M. (Eds.) (2005). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. ISBN 978-1412915397 think about the criminals and what motivates them? Why would a group of kids attack a young teen that they do not know for no reason? Why would a man beat his ex-girlfriend who was carrying his baby in broad daylight? How can anyone leave a baby in a car with all of the windows up on an 80-degree day? We have all seen various scenarios in the movies with a group of bank robbers[->0] covered with masks of some sort. Many times, I have seen something as simple as a woman's pantyhose put over a criminal's face. We all know that pantyhose are relatively see through, but they do provide some cover and would most likely cover some facial features such as freckles, moles, or scars enough to not be so recognizable. Deindividuation is a diminished sense of self-awareness (Schneider et. al., 2005).
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