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we've discussed the bystander effect at great length in psychology and it just fascinates me. i think the issue is that we'd all like to think we'd help someone, but when actually faced with the situation then it may turn out to be completely different. there are countless times at rugby matches where there's two people screaming at each other, but you just don't step in because there's the potential you could get harmed. so yeah, i'd probably like to be a knight in shining armour but i can't really generalise all "old people" or all "people of the same gender" because it would just depend in the heat of the moment! :)
would be interesting to know your results at the end of all this! :)
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Interesting how no-one on the survey has put "no" for helping an elderly person despite it being pretty common to see or hear about such people being distressed in public and no-one actually doing a thing about it. I personally put "unsure" as it would really depend on what levels of distress they were showing, whether there were any other obvious problems (bleeding, scattered items, etc) but for children I had to put "no" because in our wonderful society any male seen with a child that isn't obviously theirs is open to abuse for being a paedophile despite an overwhelming majority of abusers being female, and also I would make the assumption that their parents/carers would be nearby whilst the elderly are often left to fend for themselves or are too proud to ask for help. In neither case would gender be an issue for me, for reasons obvious to anyone who knows me
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If it seemed like they genuinely needed help then I would it's just the sort of person I am. Even if a child drops their toy out of their pram I always pick it up and go and run after their parents to give it them back and let them know. So I'd say usually I'd help something, if they'd fallen over or hurt themselves something like that.
However I think if they were in distress because of an altercation with somebody e.g. being mugged or getting attacked I'd probably just phone the police, I wouldn't want to get involved because you don't know what could happen they could have a knife or anything at the end of the day the most important person is you and what help are you going to be if you're lying there bleeding to death?
It's quite a tough one to actually answer because like at my mums work place on the ward, if a patient was to fall over you're not supposed to help them or try to grab them you get told to just let them fall because like I said, the most important person is you and if you were to also get injured during the process of that, then you're not going to be much help.
Oh and I'll do your survey now, seems interesting :)
Oh and I've just thought of something else (lol edited this about 10 times) this thread has took me back to the time when I was about 13/14 and I'd just got a brand new Sony Ericson phone and I had just gotten off the bus and some boy asked me for the time, so me being the caring person I was got my phone out and told him the time... I was then mugged in broad daylight, so many people around and it was obvious I was in distress. Not one person bothered to help me whilst it was going on I only got help off this nice couple after and they phoned the police for me and made sure I was okay. I don't blame no one for not helping, like I said I wouldn't because you don't know what could happen.
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i've just done the survey :)
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I'd hope I would but I can't really imagine how I'd be in situations where someone was in distress.
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Yea I help old people across the road with they're shopping when I'm at work etc
And when I'm out, there's always a random girl sleeping on the floor or crying in the toliets and I always like to make sure they're ok!
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I would help the person if they obviously needed help. If someone was already there, I'd stand around for abit to see if there was anything I could do and if not, i'd go.
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If i was the only person then i would help them out especially the elders. done the survey.
