By Katrina Hand
The 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese still remains relevant today after over fifty years - why? This tragic case inspired research leading to the creation of the psychological phenomenon known as bystander effect, as the text defines, “the effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping”. The chapter touches on this case briefly however there is some additional information on this case to consider.
The case:
Kitty Genovese was headed home after work Friday, March 13, 1964. She first noticed her attacker, Winston Moseley, while she was still in the parking lot locking her car before heading towards her apartment building. Frightened, Kitty changed direction to the street in front of her building and Moseley then began to chase her. At this point Kitty was screaming for help and according to people in the area, her first screams were reportedly heard around 3:20 a.m. Moseley finally reached her in front of a bookstore around the corner of her apartment. Here, she was stabbed and again cried out for help, screaming that she had been stabbed. Lights from other apartments were turning on and one neighbor looked down at the scene and yelled, “Leave that girl alone!”. This caused Moseley to flee, giving Kitty the opportunity to get back to her apartment where she collapsed and called for help again. Although, Moseley returned again to assault her several more times before leaving. At around 3:50 a.m, a man from an apartment above her final attack called the police and they arrived at 3:52 a.m., Kitty died on the way to the hospital (Murder of Kitty Genovese Case Facts & Information).
Why didn’t people help?:
This is the basis for the bystander effect phenomenon. As it has been reported over the years, in total there were believed to be thirty-eight witnesses at the scene. There’s no question if people heard what was going on and knew Kitty needed help, given the reports on how the neighbors acted (turning on lights, one man yelling at Moseley), but why did it take so long for someone to just call the police? I think this can largely be attributed to diffusion of responsibility, as the text defines, “the belief that others will or should take the responsibility for providing assistance to a person in need”. Kitty’s neighbors assumed out of all of them someone must have already called the police or someone must be going to help her so they themselves don’t need to act. Of course, if this is what they are all assuming - no one will be helping at all. An even more chilling note, Moseley confessed to investigators that he attacked Kitty in front of so many witnesses because he “knew they wouldn’t do anything, people never do” (Seedman & Hellman, 1974, p. 100).
As this case proves, the bystander effect phenomenon be very dangerous, so what can we do about it?
How to help:
The chapter offers a great 5-step, how to help in an emergency diagram (p. 426, Figure 10.6) along with potential obstacles. Many of these obstacles got in the way of acting for the thirty-eight witnesses in Kitty’s case, resulting in her death.
I know I have encountered the bystander effect phenomenon many times, but I would like to know from readers:
- How would you typically act in an emergency situation and have you ever considered this phenomenon?
If anyone is still interested in this case, there is an interesting documentary by Bill Genovese (Kitty’s brother), The Witness, available on Netflix!
References:
Kassin, S. M., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social Psychology. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
Pelonero, C. (2015, January 22). Murder of Kitty Genovese. Retrieved April 04, 2018, from http://www.kittygenovesebook.com/the-murder-of-kitty-genovese/
Photo credit:
https://www.google.com/search?q=kitty+genovese&rlz=1CASMAI_enUS761US762&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwim7IDe0KHaAhVrqlQKHZEDCdAQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=654#imgrc=Cs1Lx7QseS2NCM:
Seedman, A. A., & Hellman, P. (1974). Chief!
I honestly can't say what I would do in an emergency situation unless I was in one. Everyone reacts to emergencies differently. I could say I would do this because that is what I SHOULD do however if it were actually happening I don't know if I WOULD be able to. The murder of Kitty Genovese is a perfect example of the bystander effect. However, I do find it quite appalling that not one of those 38 people tried to help her.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely a lot of factors that come into play during an emergency - especially with adrenaline it can be hard to predict how you will act. I know after learning more about this phenomenon I would at least definitely try to do something, even just calling 911 can make a huge difference as shown in this case. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteI have never been in a situation this serious, but I have been in a situation where I fell victim to the bystander effect. In high school, there was a fight between a student and special education student. Everyone crowded around and just watched and the kid just kind of stood there and took it. If someone told me a similar story and asked if I would have done anything if I was there, I'd like to say yes. But I didn't do anything. I think I was pretty shocked and by the time I realized what was happening, teachers were already there to break it up. I just kind of froze in the moment when I know I could have done something about it. I do think that some people don't want to get involved in situations like that because they are afraid for their own lives. In this situation above, the man that was yelling from above could have been afraid that if he went down there and got involved, he could get killed.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. Although, in extreme cases like Kitty's, you wouldn't necessarily have to get involved personally and put yourself at risk to make a difference helping (making a 911 call). Thanks for sharing!
DeleteI have been in a situation before where I saw a person in danger at a public beach. I knew that the police should have been called and I dialed 911, but before I called I thought, "I'm sure someone has already called the police, there are so many people watching, I don't want to annoy the dispatchers who have probably already received many calls." I ended up looking around and saw people talking on their phones and I decided not to call 911. Thankfully the police did show up very quickly, but it made me think, "what if everyone thought how I did about the situation?" The police very easily could have not been called. I think being aware of the bystander effect makes me more likely to help in a situation like this.
ReplyDeleteI've been in a few similar situations before. I've felt I should do something to help someone, then I would somehow convince myself that someone else will/already has. And I agree, after learning about the bystander effect I think it would be hard now not to do something to help if I were able to.
DeleteI've been in an emergency situation at my job before. One of my coworkers fell and had a seizure in the back; however, my manager quickly jumped to help and called 911. I went in to help because I have medical training but there were definitely a lot of people standing around not knowing what to do (like turn him on his side and put something soft under his head). I'm not quite sure about this but I think if someone is a natural leader they are more prompted to help and if someone has training (like if a policeman would have been living in Kitty's apartment complex), they are also more willing to help. I would like to think that I would have called 911 in the Kitty situation but who knows! I've driven by car accidents before and assumed someone called 911 already, but if I actually saw the accident happen I'd be more willing to stop and call 911.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to discuss the Bystander effect with friends and family as well. Since I first learned of it when I was younger, I make sure to call emergency services whenever I am witness to a situation that calls for it. If you aren't 100% sure that someone else is in communication with emergency personnel, you should make the call. Letting our friends and family know about this potential life-threatening social psychology principle will help them save lives as well. The life they save could very well be your own.
ReplyDeleteWe talked about this in class yesterday and I gave an example of an emergency situation I was in. Apparently I would do everything possible except get myself and others in trouble. Today I'd be more likely to call 911 than try to handle it myself. In some types of situations I'm not sure what I'd do though.
ReplyDeleteIt's really horrible to hear such a terrible event occur. Even though it was in New York, which is known for its high crime rates, especially back in the 60s and 70s, it's still deplorable to hear that no one would step up, and stop that man from attacking her. I think that it's essential that we train people in ways to combat this, and step out and be the catalyst that sparks people into action. All it takes is one person to step up, for the rest of the crowd to step up as well. This situation could have been prevented had just one person gone out and tried to stop him, but no one did, and Kitty died because of it.
ReplyDeleteThis situation is so hard to think about. It was such a tragedy and I am sure when people were told about it they immediately said they would have helped her if they were in that situation. But really, the odds are that we would have fallen prey to the bystander effect as well. I am curious now though, I wonder if a person who has studied, or is aware of, the effects of the bystander effect if that person would be less likely to fall for it and if they would be more likely to help someone in an emergency.
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