Genovese syndrome, often called dispersion of responsibility, is a psychological phenomenon that occurs in crisis situations involving more than one observer. In simplified form, it shows the following regularity: the more people who observe a crisis situation that requires helping someone, the lower the probability that, as a result, someone will undertake help. Where did the name of the Genovese syndrome come from?
Genovese Syndrometakes its name from the name of an American woman - Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, who was unlucky on her way home from work one night in 1964 in New York. And if she were reacted properly, maybe she could be saved.
What is Genovese Syndrome?
29-year-old Kitty Genovese worked as a shift boss at a bar in New York City. The specificity of the work required returning from it in the middle of the night. This was also the case on March 13, 1964, when the woman finished her shift at around 3 a.m. and headed home.
She was driving a car and had to stop at one of the traffic lights. Unfortunately, it was then that Winston Moseley noticed her - a train driver by profession, father of three, a man who that day decided to kill someone.
He followed Kitty and attacked her as she walked from the car to her apartment - she was about 30 meters from it when the attacker gave her 2 stabs. Genovese's family remembered her as a confident and brave woman, so it's no wonder she screamed loudly as she tried to save herself.
Then the lights in the windows of her neighbors came on, one of them shouted to the attacker to leave the woman alone. The one, frightened, left. There were no other reactions: no one tried to help the attacked woman, everyone assumed that silence meant peace. Kitty managed to crawl to the corner of her apartment building when Moseley returned 10 minutes later.
He was walking around and saw that nothing was happening, so he decided to finish the crime. He gave the woman more blows with a knife, and raped the dying woman. After the crime, a neighbor came to Kitty, who stayed with her until the ambulance arrived an hour after the attack had started. The entire attack lasted half an hour. The woman died on the way to the hospital.
Two weeks after the murder, the New York Times published an article talking aboutGenovese's misfortune - that she became a victim not only of Moseley, but also of human indifference. It was claimed that as many as 37-38 people saw the attack on Kitty and no one helped her. The term "Genovese syndrome" (also known as the diffusion of responsibility) was derived from her name. This term is used to describe an attitude resulting from conformism, indifference - when many people who witness a crisis situation do not help the victim, believing that someone else will help or that it is "better not to interfere".
It is worth noting, however, that after many years the "New York Times" admitted that there were much fewer witnesses to the event, that none of the people saw the entire attack and that there were people who reacted - someone shouted to the murderer, someone another called an ambulance and the police, a neighbor approached the wounded Kitty - all these actions, however, were too late.
The murderer was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment - Moseley died behind bars at the age of 81.
In later testimonies of witnesses who did not help, various excuses were repeated.
The witnesses repeated that:
- they were convinced that someone else would help, so there is no need to get involved in the situation;
- they claimed that someone else had notified the police a long time ago, so there is no need to call the emergency number;
- the whole thing is a lovers' quarrel, so they won't get mixed up;
- actually they didn't see much or they were tired.
The circumstances of Kitty Genovese's death prompted deeper research into the patterns of human indifference or diffusion of responsibility.
Why didn't anyone help Kitty?
As a consequence, many studies were conducted, during which participants were exposed to various situations, requiring a decision to help a stranger. Sometimes it was a simulation of petty theft, other times a mock attack of illness or loss of consciousness. Regardless of the nature of the event, scientists noticed certain regularities:
- presence of a large number of people reduces the tendency to help,
- the observer usually shifts the responsibility for providing help to other people,
- no response from other witnesses of the event proves that there is no need to provide help.
Few people are clear about what to do in a crisis, especially in a crisis that requires assistance to a third party. He does not know what action to take and how to deal with the high emotional tension in the situationextreme stress by taking the right action.
The majority of society is in no way prepared to react appropriately in a crisis situation. Therefore, when it happens, one person most often watches what the others are doing. It is the reaction of the environment that is, to a great extent, the trigger to take or abstain from action.
Usually, however, people around us also do not know how to behave in such a situation. During this time, they observe and analyze the group's reactions to make a decision. In this way, the potential to support many people is frozen, which in turn leaves the victim of the event to their fate.
Therefore, if a dangerous situation is observed by three or more people, the chances of receiving support decrease drastically. You are more likely to get help if one or two people are witness to the situation. In such conditions, it is more difficult to explain to yourself for not reacting to someone else's harm. The awareness that if I do not help, no one will help, can encourage action more effectively than the seemingly safe conditions when there are more observers.
What to do in an emergency?
If we want to increase the effectiveness of the request for help, it is worth remembering about a few regularities:
1. Ask a specific person for help.By pointing to a specific person or two, we increase the chances of receiving support. It's easy not to react when you're an anonymous member of a crowd of watchers, it's much harder to refuse someone else's help when that person is asking us directly.
2. Fire!A threat to everyone. When we shout "Help! Help!" In an emergency, we make the task of diffusing responsibility easier. However, if we want to effectively draw attention to the situation in which we find ourselves, we must indicate the threat that may affect not only us, but the entire community.
Cry: "Fire!" could be more effective. A fire, the consequences of which may affect all potential witnesses of the situation, gives the opportunity to draw the attention of people in our vicinity and ask a specific person for help.
3. Get ready.Regardless of whether we are on our own in an emergency, or we have a chance to use the help of other people, it is always worth trying to prepare for the threat. A self-defense course, first aid training or workshops preparing us and our loved ones to behave properly in a difficult situation may turn out to beextremely useful.
Regardless of the moral judgment of the consequences of distracting responsibility or the belief that we will definitely behave in a crisis situation, the truth is that the example of Kitty Genovese's death shows how easily we succumb to social processes. However, learning about the regularities that govern our mind, we have a chance to consciously oppose them when the situation requires it.
About the authorPatrycja Szeląg-JaroszPsychologist, coach, personal development trainer. She gained professional experience working in the field of psychological support, crisis intervention, professional activation and coaching.He specializes in the area of life coaching, supporting the client in improving the quality of life, strengthening self-esteem and active self-esteem, maintaining life balance and effectively dealing with the challenges of everyday life. She has been associated with non-governmental organizations in Warsaw since 2007, co-runs the Center for Personal Development and Psychological Services of the Compass
Read more articles by this author
Also readStockholm Syndrome: when the victim defends his executioner
How does a sociopath work and how to recognize him?
Harassment at work: how to defend yourself and claim your rights?
What is stalking? How to deal with stalking?
What is cyberbullying and what are its consequences?