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Mar 12, 2007

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee." --Marian Wright Edelman

Overcoming the Bystander Tendency

We've all found ourselves in these situations: when we’ve driven past a car stranded by the side of the road, assuming another driver would pull over to help. We witness a problem, consider some kind of positive action, then respond by doing ... nothing. Something holds us back. We remain bystanders. Why don't we help in these situations? Why do we sometimes put our moral instincts in shackles? Every day we serve as bystanders to the world around us -- not just to people in need on the street but to larger social, political, and environmental problems. Researchers have spent decades trying to answer these questions, and their findings reveal a valuable story about human nature: often, only subtle differences separate the bystanders from the morally courageous. Most of us, it seems, have the potential to fall into either category.