Domestic Violence: The Bystander Effect

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Have you ever stopped and wondered what causes society to be selfish and not help others when they are in need? Throughout the life existence of humans we have always tried to figure out the inner workings of the brain and what causes us human beings to behave or do the things we do, but to this day it still remains a mystery. During the last few centuries, however, great steps have been made in understanding why we behave and think the way we do. Lauren Slater, a psychologist and author, is widely recognized for her book “Opening Skinner’s Box,” in which she describes in detail some of the greatest and most influential psychological experiments of the twentieth century. All of the experiments mentioned in this empowering book discuss the relationship …show more content…

There are many types of violence cases, for example, domestic violence with humans and animals is one. There is a high amount of cases of domestic violence in women, children and also animals. People witness domestic violence, but do nothing to help the victim because they do not know the person so do not want to get involved to help. Bystander feels that if they do something to help this can come back to them so they rather stay away from the problem. Avi Gottlieb a professor of sociology and anthropology at Tel Aviv University states, “Bystanders may feel that their behavior can be discovered subsequently, and that they are yet accountable to other witnesses, the victim, or formal authorities.” Many bystanders are afraid to be identified if they help a victim of a violent crime because they fear that they might come after them. Domestic violence is a big problem that society faces and many witnesses this but do not do anything to help that innocent person or animal due to the fact that we do not see why we should be responsible in helping. “It places a significant economic burden on public services including the criminal justice system, health and social care services. DV constitutes a significant proportion of all violent crime” (Gallagher 55). Domestic violence is said to be a burden of society, we see this everyday but we do not do anything to stop

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