Science of Altruism the "Bystander Research Paper

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What all this shows is that "there is something about a crowd of bystanders that inhibits helping behavior" (101).

The results of Latane and Darley's research were shocking. Why do some people act in altruistic or pro-social ways while others do not? To act altruistically means to work in a way that goes beyond our selves, our own egos, and work for the benefit of someone else. A true act of altruism has two properties: It must benefit someone else and it must be potentially costly to the benefactor (Clarke 6). Walster and Poliavin define altruism as, "helping behavior that is voluntary, costly to the altruist and motivated by something other than the expectation of material or social reward" (6). This definition is a good one as it makes clear that there is a great distinction between egoism and altruism.

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True altruism is a regard for others without the concern for one's own self-interest or external rewards (6).

The bystander effect can be most notably seen in the Kitty Genovese case and Latane and Darley's subsequent research. To examine this case and research helps one understand the opposite of altruistic acts and what can happen when people fail to act altruistically, choosing egoism -- or rather, doing nothing.

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