Catherine Genovese Bystander Effect

Words: 602
Pages: 3

The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present. The more bystanders there are, the more likely it is that anyone will help The story of Catherine Genovese is a perfect example on a bystander apathy. On Friday 13 March in 1964 ,28-year old Catherine Genovese, also known as Kitty Genovese, was heading to her home from a late night shift. She lived in a built-up neighborhood and worked as a bar manager in Queens, New York. While walking home, she was attacked with a knife by a man whose name was, Winston Moseley. People heard her, and yet they didn’t do anything to help her. Moseley ran off when he saw lights getting turned on in apartments nearby, he knew people were watching. At that moment, Kitty dragged herself into a …show more content…
Later in court, he stated that it looked like no one was going to do anything about it. Although she was very weak by now, she screamed one last time for help, but no one took action. By the time they police were called, she was already dead. The attack took over a half and hour and there were 38 witnesses who heard or saw some part of the attack, but nobody decided to do anything.

Calderon 2
The bystander effect can have a negative impact on prosocial behavior, altruism, and heroism. Researchers have found different things that can help people overcome this tendency and increase the likelihood that they will engage in helping behaviors. Sometimes by seeing other people doing something kind or