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Theories of motivation 4
Theories of motivation 4
What motivates human behavior
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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.
The bystander effect refers to the tendency for an observer of an emergency to withhold aid if the:
Fear is a powerful emotion. Wikipedia.com describes fear as “an emotion induced by threat perceived by living entities, which causes a change in brain and organ function and ultimately change behavior, such as running away, hiding or freezing from traumatic events.”Most people tend to avoid fearful situations, not realizing that something positive may come out of the event or experience. Victor Villaseñor focuses on the topic of fear in his novel titled Burro Genius. Villaseñor demonstrates to readers how growing up he was extremely fearful of any situation. Victor also tells his readers how he turned his fear into motivation into motivation to keep going and reach his ultimate goal of becoming a published author.
Fear is an everyday emotion that the human race must face, and it can bring out the best and worst of us, but its how we choose to deal with it that truly defines us.
As our textbook describes the bystander effect as the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present. To put it into my own words, I think that bystander effect is where people are less likely to help because of the diffusion of responsibility. We are more likely to help: the person appears to need and deserve help, if the person is in some way similar to us, the person is a woman, when we have just observed someone else being helpful, if we are not in a hurry, if we are in a small town or rural areas, when we are feeling guilty, when we are focused on others and not preoccupied, and when we are in a great/good mood (Myers).
Through a lifespan, people will endure many stressful events and experiences. The severity of these events easily overwhelm them and as a result they will let their emotions overshadow sensible decisions. When in such an emotional state, it is common that people make impulsive decisions based off their feelings, but, this could lead to permanent consequences. Of the numerous emotions, fear predominantly is seen in times of crisis. Fear can be defined as, “An emotion of uneasiness that arises as a normal response to perceived threat that may be real or imagined” (Adamec). Fear may arise from a confrontation or from avoiding a threat, or it may come in the form of a discovery. Fear is often a direct result of one being scared due to a crisis
One of the most complex emotions in existence, fear is the primary emotion that triggers any kind of change, as it is capable of linking with any existing emotion to create entirely different lives upon lives. For any change that happens, fear is always present to turn the tide whichever way it pleases.
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
... were outsiders may have contributed to their selfish, cowardly behavior. Thus, it is the individual who demonstrates a high degree of independence, a strong sense of duty where charity is concerned, and an ability to value every human life regardless of religion or ethnicity that will be most likely to selflessly aid people in distress. Conversely, it is the individual that lacks the aforementioned traits, who will be the least effective in assisting those in need.
Fear influences people to make irrational decisions and take extreme measures. Often times, these actions are done to protect one’s reputation. Fear causes people to lie and manipulate to those they care about in order to escape what they are scared of most. Fear of failure has caused higher levels of anxiety, and has made society put blame on each other, rather than owning up to their mistakes. Fear can also cause one to forget one’s true identity and lose one’s values. There are two options that one can take when being faced with a fear: run away from the fear, or go through it and learn a valuable lesson in the end that will make you a stronger person. Fear is a harmful emotion that everyone has to go through in order to succeed.
All in all, if we do not stand up then we only affirm the perpetrators, and if there are too many that affirm perpetrators instead of standing up for the victim, bystanders can prove to be more dangerous than the perpetrators.
“There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Roosevelt). “Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, among other things, also known as the fight-or-flight response” (Layton). Fear affects the brain and can help people or make them in a worse situation than they were in the first place. Fear most motivates/influences people during times of crisis by clouding judgement and becoming a weapon of power.
People perpetrate seemingly selfless acts almost daily. You see it all over the news; the man who saved that woman from a burning building, the mother who sacrificed herself to protect her children from the bomb blast. But how benevolent are these actions? Are these so-called “heroes” really sacrificing themselves to help others? Until recently, it was the common belief that altruism, or selfless and unconditional kindness, was limited primarily to the human race. However, within the last century, the works of several scientists, most prominently George Price, have provided substantial evidence concluding that altruism is nothing more than a survival technique, one that can be calculated with a simple equation.
The bystander effect plays a key role in society today. More and more people ignore a person in distress.
One of the strengths is providing a new insight into bystander effect. The study argued that researchers have previously neglected the potential benefit of bystanders and thus, the study provided a new horizon by proving reversed bystander effect through experiment. This allows us to be aware of the fact that someone may be providing help merely due to impression management. This arouses a doubt on whether the one who provides help is genuinely concerned about the needs of the victims, or one is just motivated by upholding his/her reputation when surrounded by a crowd. Besides, carrying out a manipulation check right after this experiment is beneficial to this study as well....
Darley, J. M. & Latané, B. (1968) Bystander intervention in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 8, 377–383