Why Would We Choose to Not Help During a Crisis?

Have we become a nation of uncaring and selfish people or are our actions just misunderstood? Barbara E Reid is a professor of New Testament studies and she wrote an article about the kindness of strangers for the periodical America Press. In the first paragraph the article explains some of the reasons we may not stop to help a stranger. “There are all kinds of good reasons for not stopping to help a stranger: I have other pressing obligations. It’s dangerous—what if the robbers are still lurking and attack me? I don’t have any professional skills or resources to help this person. If I move him and make his injuries worse he might sue me. And on and on.” (Reid, par. 1). We need to understand the complexities involved with human reasoning to be able to know why we decide that we can or can not help when we need to. People may not help in a crisis due to many reasons including fear of harm to themselves, legal repercussions, and cultural teachings, not because they are impervious to another persons needs.

When we find ourselves involved in any type of crisis fear is a natural accompaniment. Author Leslie Kramer has written articles for Guideposts, an inspirational magazine. In her article pertaining to the effects of fear she states that “Fear is our psychological and physiological reaction to risk or danger. It comes from the flight-or-flight response, a basic survival mechanism that evolved to protect us from harm. You probably recognize the signs: racing heartbeat, faster breathing, sweating, blood rushing to the muscles--all things that prime your body to either do battle or escape. That comes in handy (and in fact, can save your life) if you're trying to outrun an angry grizzly bear.” (Kramer, Par. 2). Logically,...

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... an article written by George Marshall and Mark Lynast they define the bystander effect as a “...phenomenon that violent crimes can be committed in a crowded street without anyone intervening.” (Marshall and Lynast, par. 17). If we are truly suffering from the bystander effect it makes it seem as if we are just watching a crime happen and not caring. However, author Alfie Kohn has written about human behavior and in the process interviewed psychologist Martin Hoffman. Hoffman states “the evidence is overwhelming that most people, when confronted with someone in a distress situation, will make a move to help very quickly if circumstances permit.” (Kohn, par. 4). So in summary, we are not necessarily as callous as it may seem on the surface. There are plenty of other reasons we may not have the ability to intervene and we should judge each situation on its own.