Opinion: The bystander effect, Covid-19 vaccine edition
What do Covid-19 vaccination and the stabbing death of a woman outside of her New York City apartment have in common? The bystander effect.
The bystander effect concept emerged after Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was stabbed to death in 1964. According to press coverage at the time, none of her neighbors came to her help despite being aware of what was happening. Although the coverage was later debunked, it gave rise to the bystander effect theory, which says that an individual witnessing someone being attacked is less likely to help the victim when there are other people around. Essentially, the thought is that someone else will take care of the victim; it’s not the individual’s problem. Of course, when everyone thinks this, the victim suffers without aid.
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