Charlie's car broke down and smoke started rising from the engine. He felt lucky to have broken down while parked in the center
of town during lunch when many people were outside and could help. However, 30 minutes has passed and despite the heavily populated area, nobody has offered assistance. This is an example of the ________.
This case, shown in the question above, clearly illustrates the phenomenon called the spectator effect. The bystander effect or diffusion of responsibility refers to those cases in which individuals who are witnesses of a crime or dangerous situation do not offer any form of assistance to the victim when other persons are present. In the above question, Charlie was in a dangerous situation with his car, and even though the car was parked in a crowded place, Charlie received no help from anyone.
You never know or expect someone to just drop to the floor. If someone like your mom, or father, whoever falls and can't breathe, and you know how to treat them in some sort of fashion, then you might save their lives. Rather than not knowing anything at all and risking the death of a loved one, or even someone you don't even know.
