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Bystander Effect Research Paper

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In 2012, a Korean immigrant, Ki-Suck Han, was pushed onto subway track by a homeless man after an altercation between the two. For a full 22 seconds, a crowd of about 38 people watched as Han was struggling to get back up without offering a least bit of help. In fact, a freelance photographer for the New York Post had the time to snap a picture right before the subway came by, and unfortunately, he died from the impact (McVeigh). Why did no one help? One reason bystanders do not take action is because of the “bystander effect.” The bystander effect is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals, typically surrounded by others, do not demonstrate any course of action in helping victims in distress. Social psychology professors, John Darley …show more content…

Why then, should we have a law that attempts to enforce against our normal behavior? Though, we already have laws that restrict certain behaviors such as theft, but they shouldn’t limit morality that far. When strangers take time out of their day to save someone, they did it out of moral goodness, not because they were forced to do so by a law. The average person doesn’t immediately think about what law they may or may not be breaking; they act according to the situation and the people around them. [concluding sentence] Because of these behaviors in certain situations, how exactly would this law be enforced? It would be a waste of time. First of all, as with other laws, numerous people can’t recall or some wouldn’t know that a bystander law was legislated. Furthermore, since people may not think of the law as their initial response, they might not even help victims at all. In fact, the authorities would have to find and prove that a specific person was a bystander in any given situation. It seems like a nuisance having to find that “one guy” who just happened to be there. [concluding

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