The 5 Steps In Deciding To Help A Stranger in Need
Latane and Darley (1970) created five decisions an individual must go through in deciding to help a stranger in need. These steps happen in a matter of seconds and are almost unconscious thoughts yet they make a big difference in deciding to help, or maybe even save a life. If the individual stops at any one of these steps the person in need will not receive help.
Step #1: Noticing Something Unusual |
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While engaging in daily life, we do not always notice things that go on around us and therefore may miss cues that something unexpected is going on.
If one happens to zero in a sight or sound that is unusual, they move on to the next step. If not, they will go on about their lives. To test the factors that contribute to a person noticing, Darley and Batson (1973) conducted a field study looking into the likelihood one would help. The conclusion is that those that are were in a hurry were less likely to notice. |
Once one has noticed that something unusual is going on, they need to determine what is happening and whether or not it needs attention. A lot of the time people encounter a situation that is unusual but does not need attention. Sometimes an emergency situation could be interpreted as less important because the person has not interpreted it as such.
Often people do not want to be embarrassed so they will not react to a possible emergency immediately. A lot of the time people look towards others to decide whether the situation is an emergency, which is known as pluralistic ignorance. The video below shows a study done on pluralistic ignorance. The first woman is by herself and reacts but when others are around she looks to others to define the situation as an emergency. |
The next step is to accept responsibility to help that person. If there is only one person, that one will feel immense responsibility, but if there are more than one or many a diffusion of responsibility happens.
The bystander effect comes to play during this step as the more people that are present, the less responsibility each individual takes in helping the person in need. The graph below shows how the amount of people represent affects the likelihood of helping someone in need. As the number of people goes up, the likelihood goes down. |
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Step #4: Deciding You Have What It TakesSome emergencies will require special skills from the person that is willing to help. For example, if someone is was just rescued from drowning, they will require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and if the person is not able they will be less likely to help. If one does not believe they have what it takes they will not provide help.
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Step #5: Providing HelpOnce one goes through the four steps, they only need to make the final decision to provide help. At this point, they will most likely weigh the positive and negative outcomes; the positives depending on the emotions and beliefs of the helper and the negatives are usually fear of the negative consequences. For example, if you see someone getting robbed you may think to yourself that you will do great justice if you help but also risk being stabbed yourself and so ultimately choose to stay safe and not provide help.
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1. In this video, we see the people in the bar have noticed that the girl is drunk and realize after a while that the man is taking advantage of her as one man states it to others. They have successfully passed step one, noticing something unusual.
2. Once the girl says multiple times that she doesn't know the man and he persists to take her to his hotel most begin to look worried, showing that they know the she is potentially in danger. At this point some have defined the event as an emergency.
3. In the video, the majority of people decide that is in not their responsibility. One woman, in the tank-top tells the man she is sitting with not to get involved. Only one man takes responsibility by telling the young man trying to leave that the girl is not going with him.
In the second scene, with different people, once the two women step in others join in as well, telling the man to leave her alone.
4. At this point only the man in the yellow shirt has decided that he has what it takes as he stays his ground and challenges the man by continuing not to allow him to leave the bar with the girl.
The second test shows multiple people taking responsibility to confront the man and back him off. Almost everyone sitting at the table helps the girl by telling him his actions are wrong.
5. This man has successfully went through all five steps and has made the ultimate decision to help. He tells the girl that she is going to stay there and stays until the aggressive man actually leaves the bar.
The second scene shows the two women who originally help her actually go and grab her by the arm and sit her down so that he cannot take her out of the bar. The others continue to confront him. They have made the final decision to help this woman and not allow him to leave with her. One woman actually states that the police should be called.
As we have seen in the video, these are alarming results and some many people were in the bar and only one person decided to get involved. Others knew it was wrong and simply turned their heads. When men were around they actually encouraged the man and gave him tips. These types bar scenes do happen often, as well as other emergencies that could have possibly been avoided if individuals decided to help and do the right thing.
2. Once the girl says multiple times that she doesn't know the man and he persists to take her to his hotel most begin to look worried, showing that they know the she is potentially in danger. At this point some have defined the event as an emergency.
3. In the video, the majority of people decide that is in not their responsibility. One woman, in the tank-top tells the man she is sitting with not to get involved. Only one man takes responsibility by telling the young man trying to leave that the girl is not going with him.
In the second scene, with different people, once the two women step in others join in as well, telling the man to leave her alone.
4. At this point only the man in the yellow shirt has decided that he has what it takes as he stays his ground and challenges the man by continuing not to allow him to leave the bar with the girl.
The second test shows multiple people taking responsibility to confront the man and back him off. Almost everyone sitting at the table helps the girl by telling him his actions are wrong.
5. This man has successfully went through all five steps and has made the ultimate decision to help. He tells the girl that she is going to stay there and stays until the aggressive man actually leaves the bar.
The second scene shows the two women who originally help her actually go and grab her by the arm and sit her down so that he cannot take her out of the bar. The others continue to confront him. They have made the final decision to help this woman and not allow him to leave with her. One woman actually states that the police should be called.
As we have seen in the video, these are alarming results and some many people were in the bar and only one person decided to get involved. Others knew it was wrong and simply turned their heads. When men were around they actually encouraged the man and gave him tips. These types bar scenes do happen often, as well as other emergencies that could have possibly been avoided if individuals decided to help and do the right thing.
It is a lot easier to sit on the sidelines and talk about what others should have done in an emergency situation but based on these five steps, it is a little more understood why one would not help in an emergency situation. The cognitive processes that people go through determine whether they engage in prosocial behavior.