Understanding the Bystander Effect: A Deep Dive into the Kitty Genovese Case

Kitty Genovese

Murdered outside apartment- prompted to investigate bystander effect due to diffusion of responsibility.Attacked for 35 minutes and there was 38 bystanders.-1964,NY

Kitty Genovese was a young woman who was murdered on March 13, 1964, in Queens, New York City. The incident became famous for the bystander effect, which is a social psychological phenomenon that occurs when individuals fail to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

According to reports, Kitty Genovese was attacked by Winston Moseley, who approached her and stabbed her twice in the back. She screamed for help, but none of the neighbors came to her rescue. After some time, Moseley returned and stabbed her several more times, leading to her death. It was later found out that at least 38 people had witnessed the attack, but none of them intervened or called the police.

The Kitty Genovese case sparked a debate on the responsibility of bystanders and the morality of the masses. Social psychologists and criminologists have studied this case to understand why bystanders failed to intervene and help Kitty Genovese.

Researchers have found that the bystander effect occurs due to social influence, diffusion of responsibility, and pluralistic ignorance. When individuals see others not helping in an emergency situation, they assume it is not their responsibility to intervene, and others are likely to do the same. This social influence can lead to a diffusion of responsibility, where the individual expects someone else to act, leading to inaction.

In conclusion, the Kitty Genovese case is a tragic and significant event that highlighted the implications of the bystander effect in our society. It is essential to understand the factors that contribute to the bystander effect to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

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