Whenever we hear about a distressing or scandalous culture or pattern – things like pervasive sexual harassment in our offices or rampant abuse in our communities – one question that often comes up is, “How could people let that happen?” How could such an environment develop? The answer is, at least in part, the bystander effect.
The bystander effect is a psychosocial phenomenon in which an individual is less likely to seek or offer help in a situation when other people are present.
What happens is, when we feel like we’re members of a group, we often defer to others when deciding whether or how to act, or think someone else will step in if it’s really necessary. Instead of using the power of a group to effect change, we assume others will step up. The problem is, if everyone thinks that, then no one does anything, and terrible outcomes result.
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