Diffusion Of Responsibility Theory

Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological theory where people are less likely to take action or feel a sense of responsibility in the presence of a large group of people. Basically while in a large group of people, people start to feel that individual responsibility to intervene is lessened because it is shared by all of the onlookers. This theory is usually used to explain the bystander effect, in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people are to help an individual in distress. These theories can be seen in a large city on a busy street. For example a young man falls to the ground and starts convulsing as if he’s having a seizure. Many people may turn and look at the man, but no one moves to help or call for

Each person might think, "Oh, someone else has probably already called for help". I feel as though this scenario is caused by the increasing selfishness and disregard within our society. It seems as though now a days it 's a world in which people only care about themselves and choose to ignore whats going on with anyone surrounding them. Technology makes this even worse because now we can bury our heads in our phones and pretend that we don 't see what 's going on around us. Some factors that appear to decrease diffusion of responsibility is knowing the victim, calling on a specific individual for help and having the skills to help. When people know the victim they are more likely to help because they feel some sort of connection or personal knowledge of the person in trouble. Calling on a specific individual for help can help decrease the psychological distance between the victim and the onlooker. For example if the victim makes eye contact and asks a specific individual for help, that person will feel more responsible to take action. Having the skills to help can help because people usually don’t assist since they feel unqualified to

A person who has received specific training in life-saving, first aid, and CPR will most likely feel more capable of stepping up and offering assistance. Another concept learned in this module is conformity which is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to group norms. Norms can be considered to be specific rules shared by a group of individuals that guide the way they interact with others. For example the norm to greet someone in a formal situation with a handshake. Norms usually occur in small groups or society as a whole and can be a result of either unconscious influences or social pressure. Conformity can happen when a person is alone or with others. For example when eating and watching television people follow social norms even when alone. Conformity occurs because people want to feel secure in a group. This concept is called groupthink which is a thought process involving self-deception, forced manufacture of consent, and conformity to group values and ethics. Conformity can have good or bad consequences depending on the