The Bystander Effect and the Kitty Genovese Case
The terrible murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964 became a key example for understanding the “bystander effect.” This is a psychological idea that explains why people are less likely to help in an emergency or crime when other people are present.
The first story, widely reported by The New York Times with the dramatic headline “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police,” made it seem like 38 neighbors in Queens, New York, watched parts of the attack on 28-year-old Kitty Genovese but did nothing. This story suggested there was widespread lack of caring and action. It deeply influenced public opinion and led to much research in social psychology. However, in the years that followed, many details about the Genovese case were found to be wrong or greatly changed.
The widely told story claimed that Winston Moseley attacked Genovese three times. But later investigations showed she was attacked two times, not three. Also, the first number of 38 eyewitnesses was an exaggeration; there weren’t 38 people who saw the attacks. In fact, most people only heard screams but weren’t sure where they came from. Many of the “witnesses” were elderly and only heard the 3:15 a.m. attack while half-asleep. It was also thought unlikely that anyone heard her scream after Moseley stabbed her lung.
Despite these mistakes in the original reports, a neighbour did call the police during the attack, though the call was never officially recorded. Two more neighbors called the police afterward, as Genovese stumbled into her apartment building. One woman even ran out of her apartment and held Genovese in the hallway as she was dying. So, while some witnesses did nothing, it wasn’t as widespread as the media first reported. In October 2016, The New York Times corrected its original article to re-examine the true facts of the story.
The Rise of the Bystander Effect
Even with the initial errors in reporting, the Genovese case clearly brought the idea of people not helping to public attention and psychological research. The idea that many people failed to act started a national conversation about city life, personal responsibility, and how responsibility can spread out among a group. Social psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley were especially influenced by the Genovese case. This led them to do important experiments that officially proved the “bystander effect.” Their research showed that when others are present, people are indeed less likely to help. This happens mainly because of two psychological reasons: “diffusion of responsibility” and “pluralistic ignorance.”
Key Concepts Explained
Diffusion of responsibility happens when many people are around, and each person feels less personally responsible to act because they assume someone else will step in. Simply put, the duty to help gets “spread out” among the group, making individuals feel less obligated.
Pluralistic ignorance, on the other hand, describes a situation where people in a group secretly disagree with something but wrongly think everyone else in the group agrees with it. In an emergency, this means people look at others to see how they should react. If everyone is just watching everyone else and no one acts, people might think the situation isn’t a real emergency, or that they don’t need to help. This can cause a whole group to do nothing, even if individuals are privately worried.
The Importance of Correcting the Record
The New York Times re-examining the Genovese case in 2016 was very important for correcting the historical record and challenging the simple story that people had believed for decades. While the first report made it seem like there was widespread indifference, the corrected story showed a more complicated truth. It highlighted that some people did try to help, even if their efforts weren’t successful right away or were wrongly reported. The idea that 38 people just watched a murder without doing anything was a strong, though wrong, reason for talks about society breaking down and people failing morally. This correction reminded us how important accurate reporting is and how early reports can affect public memory and scholarly discussions for many years.
Ongoing Relevance of the Bystander Effect
Beyond the specific details of the Genovese case, the bystander effect is still a strong and real psychological idea. Many studies have consistently shown that the more people who are present in an emergency, the less likely any one person is to help. This effect doesn’t mean people are bad. Instead, it shows how situations and group dynamics can change how people act. Knowing about the bystander effect has led to ways to encourage helping. For example, making it clear who should do what in an emergency, making situations less confusing, and teaching people how to get past the psychological reasons that stop them from helping.
For instance, training programs for bystander intervention often teach people how to spot emergencies, understand why people don’t help (like shared responsibility), and learn ways to help directly and indirectly. These programs stress clear communication, like telling a specific person to call emergency services instead of just asking everyone. They also show how powerful even a small act of help can be, as it can break the group’s inaction and encourage others to join in.
Legacy of Kitty Genovese
Kitty Genovese’s murder has two main legacies. First, it was a strong, though for a long time overstated, example of people not helping. This led to important research in social psychology. Second, the later re-checking of the facts highlighted how important it is to question media stories and always seek the truth. Even though the “37 witnesses” number was an exaggeration, the main psychological ideas that came from the initial uproar are still true. The Genovese case still serves as a powerful reminder of how individual duty, group behavior, and accurate reporting all connect to help us understand human actions during crises. Kitty Genovese’s story, now told correctly and with more detail, remains a strong way to teach about the bystander effect, how complicated human behavior is, and why being an active part of a community matters.
Reference:
- The True Crime File – Kim Daly
