Mini-Writing: The Bystander Effect

The Bystander Effect is a psychological phenomenon that occurs in a group of people. If someone is in need of help, other people are less likely to offer assistance in a larger group than in a smaller group. This has many factors associated with it; the number of people in the group, what the issue is, etc. One of the main reasons this occurs is because people often wait for others to act first before they take the initiative to do it themselves, causing a long pause between when the problem starts and when someone offers to help. This is the diffusion of responsibility, what happens when you’re not the only person capable of taking responsibility. Humans are pack animals and are used to having an authority figure, so when we see something that needs doing but we’re not the only authority figure nearby that can do it, we often become confused and wait for someone else to do it. This situation is almost nonexistent in one-on-one situations, as only one person can help, meaning that diffusion of responsibility doesn’t exist.