The case of Kitty Genovese has been widely studied in social psychology due to its impact on the understanding of the diffusion of responsibility. The tragic murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964, as numerous witnesses witnessed the scene from their windows, raised intriguing questions about why people do not act in emergency situations. This event became a reference point for investigating the phenomenon of "diffusion of responsibility", where the presence of others reduces the probability of a person intervening in an emergency situation.
The case of Kitty Genovese
In the early hours of March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-old girl, was brutally murdered in a Queens neighborhood , NY. The attacker, Winston Moseley, stabbed her repeatedly as she screamed for help. Despite the screaming and violence, many neighborhood residents heard or witnessed part of the attack from their windows.
What caught the attention of the media and experts was that, according to reports, at least 38 People heard or saw some aspect of Kitty Genovese's attack, and yet no one intervened to help her or call the police during the attack. This apparent passivity and lack of action by so many witnesses baffled many and prompted researchers to delve deeper into human behavior in emergency situations.
The diffusion of responsibility
One of the key concepts that emerged from the Kitty Genovese case was that of diffusion of responsibility. This psychological phenomenon refers to the tendency of people to feel less responsibility to act when other people are present. In other words, when there are multiple bystanders in an emergency situation, each individual tends to assume that someone else will take the initiative, which can lead to collective paralysis and inaction.
The Bystander Effect
This phenomenon is commonly known as the "bystander effect". The theory is that the more people are present in an emergency situation, the less likely it is that someone will intervene. This is partly because each person feels less personally responsible when others are present, assuming that if it were really necessary to intervene, someone else would do it first. This diffusion of responsibility can lead to what is known as collective inaction, where no one takes action because everyone believes that someone else will.
The influence of social conformity
Other An important aspect that contributes to the diffusion of responsibility is the influence of social conformity. When people look at others and see that no one is taking action, they are more likely to follow suit and refrain from intervening. The pressure to conform to the behavior of others can be so strong that it overrides the desire to help or intervene in an emergency situation.
Experiments in diffusion of responsibility
From the case of Kitty Genovese, numerous experiments have been carried out in social psychology to investigate and better understand the diffusion of responsibility. One of the best-known studies is the Latané and Darley smoke experiment, conducted in 1968.
Latané and Darley smoke experiment
In this classic experiment, participants were placed in a room and exposed to smoke coming from a grate in the wall. When participants were alone in the room, the vast majority reported the smoke and took steps to investigate the situation. However, when participants were in groups with confederates who acted as if they did not notice the smoke, the likelihood that they would report the smoke and take action decreased significantly.
This study clearly demonstrated how the presence of others influences people's response to an emergency situation. Diffusion of responsibility and social conformity played a crucial role in participants' tendency not to act when they believed that others had also perceived danger, thus showing the powerful influence of the presence of third parties on individual decision-making in situations. of crisis.
Repercussions of the Kitty Genovese case
The Kitty Genovese case and the diffusion of responsibility that was observed in that tragic event had a lasting impact on social psychology and in public awareness about individual responsibility in emergency situations. Since this incident, intervention and training programs have been implemented to address inaction in crisis situations and encourage direct action, rather than relying on the intervention of others.
In addition, the case of Kitty Genovese has led to increased scrutiny on how emergency events are reported and interpreted in the media. The way in which news about tragedies and dangerous situations is presented can influence the public's response and the perception of individual responsibility in these circumstances.
Conclusions
The case by Kitty Genovese is a shocking reminder of the complexity of human behavior in emergency situations. Diffusion of responsibility and the bystander effect are fundamental psychological phenomena that influence the likelihood that people will intervene in a crisis. Understanding these concepts is essential to design effective emergency intervention strategies and promote individual responsibility in society.