Psychology - Thy Brother's Keeper

Altruism - self-sacrifice for the benefit of others

Apathy - lack of empathy; detached

Reasons for Altruistic behavior

  • Empathetic sympathy - watching someone suffer causes the viewer to suffer so by helping victims people also help themselves by ending the suffering

  • Adherence to a social norm - the desire to “look good” in front of others by helping others. results from a desire to avoid censure and gain respect

  • A Genetic Trait - it’s a basic human instinct to save others

Theories from “Thirty-Eight Witnesses”

  • Disaster syndrome - witnessing the killing “shook the safety and sureness” of the individuals involved and caused psychological withdrawal from the event by ignoring it

  • Megalopolis - the megalopolis we live in makes closeness very difficult and leads to alienation of the individual from the group

  • TV violence - we’re desensitized to the violence

Diffusion of responsibility - occurs when people who need to make a decision wait for someone else to act instead. The more people involved, the more likely it is that each person will do nothing, believing someone else from the group will probably respond.

5 Steps Leading Up to Interference

  1. Potential emergency must be observed - you look around to see how others are reacting

  2. Situation is defined as an emergency - others around you recognize the emergency

  3. Witness must accept responsibility - for helping, you act on a situation even if it’s not considered an emergency

  4. Witness must know how to help - if they don’t know how to help they can’t help

  5. Help is offered

Pluralistic Ignorance - everyone misleads everyone else into doing nothing, even when an emergency is occurring

when people consider a victim responsible, they are less likely to help

Appearance can affect if help is offered

  • race

  • attractive vs. unattractive