Saint Louis University: How to be an Active Bystander

Goals for Students Recognize reasons why people may not intervene Develop specific intervention skills Increase motivation and confidence to help Empower participants to act on their values Create a safer, healthier, more caring environment

What Variables Affect Intervening? Individual- A person’s knowledge, skill set, confidence, sense of social responsibility, etc. Situational- Severity of need; are there other people around? What are the costs of helping? Victim- Do you know the person? Do you think they deserve help? Will they accept help?

Which do you think is the most important in determining whether or not someone will intervene? Individual Situational Usually stands in the way of intervening Victim

5 Step Decision Making Model Notice the Event Interpret it as the problem Assume personal responsibility Know how to help Intervene All 5 steps must occur if help is to be given. Failure at any one of the steps will result in no help.

Pay Attention It’s easy to miss something you’re not looking for People are distracted (texting, phone browsing, etc) Pay attention to what is going on around you. Always have an exit plan if necessary!

Interpret the Event as a problem A. Ambiguity A. Ambiguity Interpret the event as a problem- Is it a problem? Is it not? It’s sometimes hard to tell if someone is in need of help.

Interpret the Event as a problem B. Conformity B. Conformity Pressure types: Informational Influence- when you think someone knows more than you do, or has more info than you, you follow their lead Pluralistic Ignorance- the majority know there is something wrong but no one else looks concerned so you think you must be the only one and thus you don’t do anything Normative Influence- you go along with the group to fit in, to be liked or to be accepted by the group Related: Groupthink- when members try to minimize conflict and research consensus without critically testing and evaluating ideas. Spiral of silence- if one thinks they are in the minority they are less likely to voice an opinion. SO people who don’t directly engage in a problematic situation still contribute to the problem with their silence.

Strategies If something is ambiguous, look into it! Ask questions! Be mindful of group pressure or groupthink and prepared to react to it. Break through pluralistic ignorance and the Spiral of Silence and TAKE A STAND!

If not YOU, then WHO? Research shows that if you are alone you will help 80% of the time but if you are in a group you will help only 20% of the time because of the diffusion of responsibility Do not rationalize away responsibility Verbalize your intentions Engage others

Death in a crowded place-Kitty Genovese For more than half an hour thirty-eight citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens. In the police report afterwards stated “one phone call could have saved her life.”

The Bridge Girl attacked on a bridge in Detroit with many bystanders there. There was a police station on the other side of the bridge and people had cell phones. On the bridge there was bumper to bumper traffic. This young lady rear-ended the man’s car. He went into a rage, pulled her out of her car, and beat her. He went back to his car, got a jack and attacked her again with the car jack. She had no choice but to jump into the river to escape her attacker. She could not swim and drowned.

Know How to Learn direct and indirect skills- People WANT to help but don’t know what to do or how to do it. Participating in Greendot can give you the skills to help. Be Prepared- think about what you would do in certain situations so when and if that situation arises, you will have a game plan. Know resources (can you shout some out on and off campus?)

Implement and Intervene Carefully consider the situation before taking any action BE THE FIRST! Create shared and agreed upon standards of behavior and expectations within any group or organization

Consider the costs of NOT intervening What are the possible costs? Look at what happened to the girl on the bridge and Kitty Genovese. What are the potential costs for situations that you see on a daily basis?

Hazing… The idea of Obedience to Authority How would you feel if something tragic happened here at SLU? How could you break the Spiral of Silence and Pluralistic Ignorance? Perspective taking will be a key question in the scenarios we do later in the training.

Bystander Strategies S.E.E. Model Safe- Never put yourself in harm’s way but talk to someone, make a phone call (911) and engage others Early- intervene early BEFORE the problem becomes a crisis/disaster Effective- Know what to do and how to do it. Remember the law of Delivery (who, what, when, where, why and how)

Emergency Help Stay Calm Gather info Consider options- direct and indirect Provide support but do not be enmeshed Know your limits-walk away if it’s unsafe!

Non-Emergency Helping Consider frequency, duration, and severity Define the problem and the barriers Determine the goal; develop a game plan Set boundaries-don’t enable Maintain respect Consider options; know referrals

Friends Helping Friends Many times people don’t know how to approach someone or what to say. Although students don’t have to use this exact language or these exact words, the general approach can be very effective. I care I see I feel I want I will

Consequential Thinking If I choose TO________________ If I choose NOT TO____________ Benefits/Costs

Top 5 Reasons we DID intervene It was the right thing to do I would want someone to help me in that situation Someone needed help Teammates should look out for each other So the situation wouldn’t escalate