Pfeil 1

Kate Pfeil

Mrs. Cramer

English Comp I Pd. 2

5 Oct. 2018

Bystander Intervention: Why so Controversial?

If a bystander witnesses a criminal act, should they be held responsible for assisting the

victim? This question has sparked controversy regarding the liability of bystanders when

witnessing a violent attack. Some people believe that the bystander has no obligation to assist a

victim or report a crime, while others believe that bystanders should be held accountable for

assisting victims or reporting crimes. The controversy regarding bystander intervention relies on

multiple factor including group affiliation, who a bystander is with, and whether or not a person

has been educated in bystander invention.

Group affiliation has a tendency to influence whether or not a bystander intervenes or

allows violence or a crime to be committed. Affiliations also have the capability of determining

how fast a person reacts to violence. Through various virtual studies, people were more likely to

assist a member of a group they’re in than a person who is unaffiliated or in another group

(Slater). This indicates that if a bystander can relate or empathize with a victim he or she is more

likely to take action than if he or she can’t relate to the victim. Similarly, people were more likely

to ignore violent crime if the aggressor were affiliated with their group and if the victim were

affiliated with a rival group (Slater). This may indicate that bystanders are concerned with being

accepted in their groups and feel less comfortable intervening if it may set them apart from their

peers. This is one of many unconscious ways that determine whether people stop and assist a

victim or if they choose to observe the violence and let it go on.

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The thoughts and affiliations of fellow bystanders impacts whether or not one intervenes

as well. Pairs, groups, and individuals all react differently regarding a violent situation. When

there are multiple parties present, a person feels as though another will intervene or he or she feels

less comfortable intervening because the bystander is unsure about how the people around them

will react. Groups had a tendency to react slowly, a pair of strangers also reacted slowly, albeit

faster than a group, and a pair of friends, while also slower in reaction time than an individual,

worked more efficiently to stop violence than a group or a pair of strangers (Latante). The

presence of others has a diffusing effect, which makes bystanders believe it isn’t their

responsibility to react first if at all. Their concern with fitting in overrides any instinct or desire to

assist a victim and they wait to see how their peer react first as an indication of how they need to

react (Vukotich). An individual’s own values, while also influential in determining whether or not

a person intervenes, are not as influential as the desire of acceptance within a group of people. A

person may feel as though the victim is responsible for his or her situation as is the case with

many incidents of sexual assault. A bystander may have observed behaviors before the incident

that may appear as though the victim incited the assault through his or her actions or words.

Bystanders also have a tendency to feel embarrassed about witnessing various forms of assault

and don’t feel responsible for reporting the incident as they are also concerned about the privacy

of the victim. Victims also have a tendency to feel ashamed of the assault even if it wasn’t

intentionally begun by them. This may cause the assailant to walk free and leave the crime

unreported (Vukotich). This may leave a victim of assault with a sense of despair and may lead to

mental health issues in the future.

While peers and bias have an impact on bystander intervention, education on the issue may

impact it as well. If people are made aware of assault and the signs to look for they can identify a
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conflict faster and easier. There are various programs in schools that teach students about the

signs of bullying and how to react accordingly. These bullying situations and possible resolutions

may impact how people react to other cases of violence outside of the school environment.

Educating children and teens will instill those values at a young age which will allow the idea to

set into their minds. After educating students at school, the school observed an increase in reports

of bullying and found that students were more likely to step in and attempt to diffuse a bullying

situation (Polanin). When people are taught at a young age how to take action, they will have a

plan when a situation arises regardless of where they are or what situation they’re in. While

bullying and assault aren’t exactly the same thing, the base value influences the decision of a

bystander to intervene or not to intervene. Through education, people may react more quickly and

efficiently than if they were not taught how to diffuse a violent situation. The values students learn

in school have a tendency to follow them for the rest of their lives

Overall, whether a bystander intervenes or not is determined by multiple factors including

group affiliation, how many people are around them, and whether or not the witness has been

educated on bystander intervention or not. The factors that impact bystander intervention are

mostly psychological. Crimes that go unreported or that aren’t stopped may impact the victim for

the rest of their lives. By intervening, bystanders offer victims a chance at justice and may be able

to prevent a situation from escalating to the point where it could turn violent. Others have a

tendency to impact whether or not a bystander or multiple bystanders will intervene in a

dangerous situation. In many cases, people are biased, and this determines whether or not they’ll

intervene and help the victim or if they will turn a blind eye to a situation due to affiliation with

the aggressor. Some schools are attempting to educate their students on how to intervene in a

situation where a person is at the mercy of another person in hopes that they can get the students
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to help each other and others around them. The responsibility of bystanders to intervene is not a

black and white issue, and many factors need to be considered before one decides to intervene or

not.
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Works Cited

Latante, Bibb. "A Lady in Distress: Inhibiting Effects of Friends and Strangers on Bystander

Intervention." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 5, no. 2, Apr. 1969, pp.

189-202. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/0022-1031(69)90046-8. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Polanin, Joshua R., et al. "A Meta-analysis of School-based Bullying Prevention Programs'

Effects on Bystander Intervention Behavior." School Psychology Review, vol. 41, no.

1, Mar. 2012, p. 47+. Academic OneFile, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A286719752/

AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=09c531bc. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.

Slater, Mel, et al. "Bystander Responses to a Violent Incident in an Immersive Virtual

Environment." PLoS ONE, vol. 8, no. 1, 2 Jan. 2013, p. e52766. Academic OneFile,

link.galegroup.com/apps/

doc/A478444363/AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=4264a536. Accessed 21 Sept.

2018.

Vukotich, George. "Military Sexual Assault Prevention and Response: The Bystander

Intervention Training Approach." Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications

and Conflict, vol. 17, no. 1, Jan. 2013, p. 19+. Academic OneFile,

link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A332656036/

AONE?u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=eb75dbac. Accessed 21 Sept. 2018.