1) In the Kitty Genovese case the bystanders show exactly what the diffusion-of-responsibility theory is. 38 neighbors watch this woman as she got attacked over and over but yet did nothing, and none of them even really have a reason why they didnt take action. In the diffusion-of-responsibility theory Darley and Latante' state that in the presence of other bystanders people are less likely to intervene because they feel as if their responsibility is diffused.
Another example is in Richmond California where a 15 year old girl got raped and beat for two and a half hours while about 20 people just observed and did not contact authorities. I dont see how people could stand by and do nothing as something this extreme happens right in front of their eyes. I have not been put into that situation yet in my life but if i was i just dont see how anyone could feel as if their responsibility to intervene diffuses due to other bystanders.
http://abcnews.go.com/health/mindmoodnews/bystanders-teen-raped/story?id=8948465
by Radha Chitale
2)Just because there is so many cases where bystanders do nothing and just observe doesnt mean that every one does the same. A female sailor in San Diego was being harassed by a male sailor and the situation quickly elevated to a sexual assault. Luckily for her out of the other bystanders who just observed there was a woman who did intervene and removed the victim from the situation and had the victim contact authorities. This is just one example of how important it is for us as bystanders to intervene to help others and not just sit and observe while a human being is involved in an emergency situation. I know that i drive on the highway almost every single day and see at least one car on the side of the road and no one pulls over, and my excuse is usually i need to get somewhere in time and someone else will help them. But if everyone does this then no one will help. I feel We the people really need to evaluate things better such as these situations and be strong enough to help and realize that they are other human beings just like us and if i was in their situation i would want help!
http://www.navycompass.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2013:fleet-master-chief-tom-howard-us-fleet-forces-command&catid=46&itemid=584
By Kari Rodriguez
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Timothy Milne Blog 1 Reply #2
ReplyDeleteHey Clay, Your description of the idea of "diffusion of responsibility" was informative. I believe you understood the idea completely. people do in fact see that they do not need to intervene in a situation, because they believe that someone else probably will. When you say that you don't understand why people think it isn't their responsibility to intervene, i don't believe that you get the difficulty involved in helping out in a tough situation. If you were to be put in a situation that was very extreme to the point that you would not want anything to do with it, i am sure you would not intervene. there is always an extreme level of help that someone will not reach. I myself would even reach a point to where i would not want to try to help out. other than that, great post