BYSTANDER EFFECT: The Psychology of Courage and Inaction

By the author of popular titles on happiness, health and longevity, the pioneering psychologist Catherine Anderson turns her keen eye onto why good people so often do nothing in the face of discrimination, bad behaviour, evil and abuse. Every day we see examples of immoral behaviour from sexual harassment to political corruption, negligence to bullying. Why did no one stop the abduction of Jamie Bulger despite many witnesses reporting they felt uneasy about seeing the two year old's distress? How did the USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar abuse hundreds of young girls under his care for so long? Why didn't anyone intervene when David Dao an innocent 69 year old man, was forcibly removed from his seat on a United Airlines airplane and dragged down the aisle by security officers? How did large crowds of men get away with sexually assaulting and estimated 1,200 women in Cologne West Germany during the 2015 New Year's Eve celebrations? Anderson's chapters include The Myth of Monsters, Who Is Responsible?, The Perils of Ambiguity, The Considerable Costs of Helping, The Power of Social Groups, Standing Up to Bullies at School, Reducing Sexual Misconduct in College, Fostering Ethical Behaviour at Work, Understanding Becoming a Moral Rebel. She uses real life examples, neuroscience and the latest psychological studies to explain why we might be good at recognising bad behaviour, but bad at taking action against it. With practical strategies to transform your thinking, she shows how we can all learn to speak out, intervene, think outside the group mentality and ultimately become braver versions of ourselves - because courage is not a virtue we are born with. Fascinating reading. 259pp.