Recently, I was having a conversation with some colleagues and the topic of conversation drifted to the indifference of Singaporeans when they see people in distress. One of them narrated a story about how he saw a group of people beating up an individual just outside a club in busy nightspot. The bouncers at the club did nothing and neither did any of the other numerous passers-by. My colleague was somewhat worried about getting involved himself, but shouted for the attackers to stop. Happily that was enough to disperse the attackers. However, he was somewhat surprised that nobody else did anything, despite the fact that it was a busy area.
Another colleague shared his own experience about how he saw a fight break out in the little India area, just outside his apartment building. The people appeared to be drunk. There were shops and a number of passers-by nearby. However, once again, nobody did anything. He was coming down from his apartment at the time and asked the security guard whether he had called the police. The security guard said no, and pointed out that in fact the fight was taking place nearer to a shop across the road, so perhaps someone from the shop ought to have called the police. When my colleague checked with the shop keeper whether he had called the police, he said it was none of his business. My colleague, a little frustrated, said if nobody else was going to call the police, he would.
Happily, I have never had the misfortune of witnessing a violent fight myself. However, like most Singaporeans, I am no stranger to the indifference of crowds. Anyone who has taken the MRT will probably have stories to tell about pregnant ladies and old folks who board trains on which all the seats are occupied. For some reason, most of the people who are seated are conveniently asleep, reading the newspapers or engrossed on mobile devices. Nobody comes forward to offer their seat, even though everyone knows they probably ought to do so.
Ironically, I learnt some interesting insights on this phenomenon during a family lunch one Sunday. My aunt, who was visiting from India, had read an article describing how a ‘damsel in distress’ scenario was reenacted by some journalists in a crowded street and nobody came forward to help. Naturally, most of the other people at lunch expressed disappointment over this. However, my mother seemed unsurprised, and explained that this was actually quite a common and well studied phenomenon in psychology called the ‘bystander effect’.
She explained that in a situation where people see unacceptable behaviour and/or a need to help, studies show that if there are a large number of people in the vicinity, it is more likely that nobody will do anything. There were several reasons for this. First, people are easily susceptible to social influence, meaning they observe what others do and act accordingly (i.e. follow the crowd). Thus, if nobody else is doing anything, they do nothing. Second, where there are a large number of people, there is a diffusion of responsibility, and nobody feels individually responsible for what is going on. People assume someone else will do something about it. Third, bystanders may not believe they have the capability to help out. For example, if someone has passed out, the ordinary bystander may believe that this is something a doctor should attend to. Fourth, bystanders may fear the repercussions of getting involved. For example, if a group of people are fighting and they try to break up the fight, there is a risk both parties may turn on them.
However, another important finding in these studies is that if someone came forward to help in the emergency situation, there is a higher chance that others will do so too. This is probably the first reason above, social influence, at work. If other bystanders see someone helping, they are more likely follow suit. This is especially so if all bystanders recognize that the situation does indeed call for help.
Of course, some reasons, such as the fear of repercussions may have some validity. However, notwithstanding this legitimate fear, there is still probably something a bystander can do. For example, rather than getting involved in trying to break up a bar fight, he could decide to call the police instead. Likewise, if someone passes out, he could be the first to call the emergency number. He could also yell for a doctor or someone who knows CPR to help.
The important thing for us to understand is that if we are bystanders and see a situation that requires someone to help, our inclination to do nothing is quite natural and likely to be the same sentiment most of the other bystanders feel too. However, we could make a real difference in the situation if we overcome this natural inclination and took the first step to help. We may find, to our pleasant surprise, that there will be other bystanders coming forward to help too.
Vikram Nair is a lawyer specializing in Dispute Resolution, particularly International Arbitration. He has a keen interest in law, politics, philosophy, economics, business and finance and enjoys all forms of debate and discussion. He understands that there is often more than one view on most difficult issues and likes to keep his mind wide open.