Have you ever witnessed a fight, but noticed no one steps in to try to help? Why don't we naturally help other people in these situations?


You'd probably like to think that if a dangerous crime were happening in front of you that you would do something. Psychologically speaking, there's a good chance that you wouldn't. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, two-thirds of all violent crimes have a bystander. The news constantly cycles cell phone videos of fights, arrests, and shootings, and often they feature people who seem to be just milling around, doing nothing. The most famous case of this happening was in 1964 in New York City, when 29-year-old Kitty Genovese was raped and murdered while numerous people nearby watched but did nothing. Psychologists call this "The Bystander Effect". Numerous studies (and incidents like the one cited above) have found that humans in groups are less likely to come to the aid of someone in need, even if they would have jumped to a rescue when alone. In one 2014 study, five-year-olds refrained from helping a "confused" experimenter when in a group, but readily assisted when alone. Other studies have shown this extends to online environments too.

Bystander effect seems to be a combination of two things: Pluralistic Ignorance , and Diffusion of Responsibility . Pluralistic Ignorance is the idea that without ever saying anything to other members of the group we assume everyone is on the same page. When other people don't act, we assume everyone has decided it's fine. Diffusion of responsibility says that we are less likely to take responsibility when others are present; because the responsibility is now spread across everyone. In emergency situations, this tends to get multiplied because we have to act quickly and make decisions without being able to talk them out. The cure for the bystander effect is, simply, for someone to act. As soon as a bystander jumps in a pool to save someone from drowning, for example, responsibility isn't diffused any longer, and the pluralistic ignorance of the group is broken. It is easy to think you'd do something different when watching a video at home by yourself, but standing with other people in the moment complicates things intensely. People who do act are called active bystanders, and according to Psychology Today , they "tend to have heightened concern for the welfare of others, greater feelings of social responsibility and a greater commitment to moral values."


http://testtube.com/dnews/why-dont-strangers-help-stop-fights

Ok, dey there dey hope say stranger go turn referee. Na stranger send you go fight?
Me sef go carry broom chuke for ground make the fight for no end. Nonsense

You don't pick up a fight expecting someone to step In and receive blow, if you are being bullied then that's a different case.

IT seems this also happens on Nairaland.

i'll read this when i wake 2morow