Case Study # 1

An Anthropological Perspective: What is Greg Goodale’s racial or ethnic background? What is the racial or ethnic background of the people who encountered Greg at the Loblaws parking lot? Anthropologists are interested in physical similarities and differences between humans (Human Variation – Physical Anthropology).

An Anthropological Perspective: Were there any cultural beliefs that may have prevented people from helping Greg? Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology. These social scientists are interested in how meanings, beliefs, values, and rules for living shared by groups and societies. In some cultures, it is believed that one becomes ritually impure if they touch or interact with someone who is ill or in an “unclean” (drunk) state.

A Psychological Perspective: Why were some people not motivated to help Greg? Psychologists are interested in human motivations. They want to know how mental factors influence our behaviour (ex. Perhaps some people have developed an assumption that people who sleep/lay on the ground are homeless bums who will never change or deserve assistance).

A Psychological Perspective: How will this incident impact Greg’s mental health? Will he experience anxiety or fear when he is running errands alone in the near future? Psychologists are interested in our mental state (ex. emotional responses) and how mental and emotional health is influenced by our interactions with others.

A Sociological Perspective: Can the bystander effect explain why people ignored Greg? Sociologists are interested in patterns in human behaviour. The bystander effect is the theory that people are less likely to help a victim when there are other people present. We assume someone else will help the person in need or feel uncomfortable intervening because of the presence of others. Being a part of a crowd makes it easier to not be responsible for someone else’s wellbeing.

A Sociological Perspective: What social norms may have led people to not intervene in this situation? How was the store manager socialized? Social norms are unwritten rules that most people in a community or society follow. Sociologists are interested in how social norms dictate our behaviour. Socialization is the process of learning the appropriate behavioural patterns, skills, and values for one’s social world. Sociologists might want to know if the manager grew up in a home/social environment where prejudiced attitudes and beliefs were taught.