Prosocial Behavior and Bystander Effect

Prosocial Behavior

• Prosocial behavior is any action intended to improve another person's situation or state.

Diffusion of Responsibility

• When you are the only person present in a situation requiring help, your felt responsibility is 100%.
• With one other person present, your felt responsibility drops to 50%.
• As the number of people present increases, the feeling of individual responsibility decreases significantly.

Bystander Effect

• The bystander effect is a phenomenon where the more people present in a group, the less likely any individual is to offer help.
• This effect can be a barrier to showing empathy.
• In large groups, people tend to…

Taking Action

• Do not just stand by; take specific action.
• Example: Assign tasks to specific people: "You and the person in the red shirt, get hot water towels."
• Designate someone to call 911 and specify the information they should provide.

Assessing Risk

• Evaluate the likelihood of de-escalating a situation without physical confrontation.
• Consider the risk of injury to yourself if intervention involves physical confrontation.