Dear Susan,
I was in a grocery store last week when a man had a heart attack and collapsed. I am feeling really disturbed because no one stopped to help him. Not one single person. Everyone stood around, but no one helped. (I arrived at the same time as the paramedics) I don’t know whether he survived, but I can’t stop thinking that those people were very selfish and uncaring.
Jennifer, London
Dear Jennifer,
What you witnessed must have been very upsetting, and I can understand why you would feel frustrated by the inaction of the group. We would all like to think that we are the type of person who would help a stranger in need, or intervene in a public emergency. In fact most of us believe that the larger the group of witnesses, the more likely we are to get help. But in actual fact, the reverse is true. This can be blamed on something called ‘bystander apathy’.
There are four stages in deciding whether to help someone in trouble.
1. Noticing the event.
2. Interpreting it as an emergency.
3. Assuming responsibility.
4. Attempting to help.
The problem happens during stage three, because when in a group, people tend to assume that the responsibility for helping or intervening belongs to someone else or is shared by everyone. People in groups are therefore not BAD people, they are just much slower to respond.
This may make you worry ‘What if something like that happens to ME?’ In fact, there are some things you can do to counteract bystander apathy, if you find yourself needing help in a public place.
First, take the uncertainty out of the situation. Call loudly for help. Let people know it is an emergency. Since people may be unsure about assuming responsibility, personally name someone who is standing by, i.e. “Jim, I need you to call 911”. If you do not know anyone by name, make eye contact and say something like “YOU, in the red sweater…call the police”
Give people the ability to help by stating clearly what needs to be done. An example of this would be saying, “This man needs CPR. Who, in this group, has first Aid training?”
The point to remember is that if you can get one person to help, others in the group will follow.