Appeal to bystander interventions: A normative approach to health and risk messaging

Bystander intervention is a form of helping that occurs when onlookers intercede to provide direct or indirect aid to a victim. When bystanders step in to prevent or reduce harm to others, they act as agents of primary and secondary health prevention. But theory and research suggest the bystander intervention process is complex and multiple social-psychological and situational barriers imperil bystander action. Bystanders are often ill-prepared to intervene when others are at risk for emotional or physical harm. They may not notice that someone needs help due to distraction from self-focus, engagement in social interaction, intoxication, or aspects of the situation like crowding or noise. Due to inadequate knowledge, bystanders may misdiagnose the situation and believe intervention is unnecessary. The negative consequences of nonintervention may be unknown to them such that the situation fails to increase their empathic arousal and motivate their action. Lacking knowledge, they may not recognize the seriousness of the situation and or the potential costs of inaction, and so are insufficiently alarmed. Pluralistic ignorance can arise when multiple uncertain bystanders conceal their concern and hesitate to act, assuming others’ inaction means intervention is inappropriate or unnecessary. When there are multiple witnesses, bystanders may assume their help is unneeded, place intervention responsibility on others, or feel less responsible for helping due to diffusion of responsibility. When the victim is not a member of their in-group, or is assumed at fault for their predicament, they may feel less empathy and a reduced responsibility to help. Or, bystanders may assign responsibility for intervention to the victim’s friends or fellow in-group members, or to those “in charge” of the setting. Even when bystanders realize help is needed and take responsibility for helping, they may not act if they do not know how or lack confidence in their ability to successfully carry out the actions required to help. When they have the skills, they may not help if they perceive the costs of action to outweigh the benefits of action. Audience inhibition arising from group norms supporting inaction and from bystander worry about what others will think about them if they act unnecessarily or ineptly can prevent bystander action by increasing bystanders’ perceived helping costs. Recognition of bystanders as a potentially valuable public health asset has increased interest in promoting bystander intervention. Bystander intervention promotion and communications empower bystander action by combating intervention- and audience-specific barriers to bystander intervention using targeted information, communications, and skills training. Theory and research suggest that effective promotions and communications foster context-specific attitudes, beliefs, norms, and skills such that bystanders: (1) are able to quickly and accurately identify a situation as intervention-appropriate; (2) experience action-motivating arousal (including empathy) in the face of the event; (3) have positive attitudes towards intervention and perceive the benefits of action as outweighing the perceived costs; (4) are empowered to act and feel confident in their ability to effectively intervene (bystander efficacy); and (5) are resistant to evaluation apprehension and norms contraindicating action. Effective bystander intervention promotion draws on social psychology and communications studies, and best practices for health promotion and prevention programs. The application of social marketing and formative and summative program evaluation methods enhance the potential of bystander intervention promotions and communications to empower bystander action

Loss of Control, Attributions, and Helplessness in the Homeless

Control has emerged as an important psychological variable. The purpose of this project was to extend the concept of environmental control to the homeless shelter environment. Data from interviews conducted with residents of a homeless shelter supported the hypothesis that perceived loss of control over the shelter environment would be positively related to giving up on finding a home and employment. The hypothesis that the helplessness created by low control environments is consistent with the external, stable attributional style of “universal” helplessness was partially supported. Suggestions for future research are provided. Changes in the shelter environment are recommended for the treatment of helplessness in the homeless though helplessness is expected to persist as long as poverty, expensive housing, and prejudice against the homeless make efforts and outcomes noncontingent

Political Participation: A Matter of Community, Stress, Job Autonomy, and Contact by Political Organizations

This research is an integration of previous work on political activity and examines a variety of factors thought to be influential in the performance and nonperformance of political behavior. The political participation of a randomly selected sample of local citizens was studied using survey research methods. One hundred and twenty-six individuals responded to survey items assessing participation in a variety of political activities including voting, campaigning, demonstrating, and contacting government officials. Stress, job autonomy, locus of control, contact by political organizations, membership in social groups, income, education, and age were used as independent variables. Regression analyses indicated that stress, job autonomy, number of social organizations belonged to, contact by political organizations, and income accounted for a significant portion of the variance in political activity

Divergent Perceptions of Lesbians: A Comparison of Lesbian Self-Perceptions and Heterosexual Perceptions

Social-psychological research on stereotyping was applied to lesbianism among American college students. The hypothesis that stereotypes of lesbians are often inaccurate predictors of individual lesbians was supported. Using stereotypes of lesbians identified by previous research, lesbians rated themselves on a series of bipolar stereotypical adjectives, and a comparison group of nonlesbians rated lesbians as a group on these same adjectives. Significant differences were found on 16 of the 21 adjectives. Knowing a lesbian personally did not influence heterosexuals\u27 ratings, suggesting the resistance of stereotypes to change

Fostering Sustainable Operations in a Natural Resource Management Agency: Insights from the Field

Sustainable operations (SO; operating in an environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable manner) is consistent with the environmental stewardship mission of natural resource management organizations. This study sought to examine SO practices in the daily work lives of US Forest Service employees, including those primarily stationed in the office and in the field. The purpose was to identify influences on these behaviors such that organizations can more effectively promote them. We surveyed a random sample of employees within a region and research station of the US Forest Service (n = 451) regarding SO behaviors, barriers, and facilitators to SO, and perspectives on SO. Consistent with the Proenvironmental Behavior Change Model (Burn, S.M. and P.L. Winters. 2008, A behavioral intervention tool for recreation managers, Park Sci. 31[1]:5–15), social norms, attitudes, setting design, knowledge and information, and habit were all important influences on SO behaviors, with social norms, attitudes, and habits the strongest influences. Recommendations for promoting SO are provided

Effects of Subtle Heterosexism on Gays, Lesbians, and Bisexuals

This study examined heterosexism that is not specifically targeted at LGB individuals, but may be experienced as antigay harassment, and may contribute to the stigma and stress they experience. LGB participants (N= 175, primarily Euro-American college students), read scenarios of heterosexuals saying or assuming things potentially offensive to gay men or lesbian women. For each scenario, they indicated the extent to which they would be offended and less open about their sexuality, and their perceptions of the behaviors as evidence of antigay prejudice. Not only did respondents find the scenarios to be offensive and indicative of prejudice, but perceived offensiveness was associated with a decreased likelihood of coming out. In comparison to gay men, lesbian women and bisexuals found the scenarios more offensive and more indicative of prejudice. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are outlined

Gender, Ethnic Identity, and Environmental Concern in Asian Americans and European Americans

There are relatively few articles in sociology and psychology on gender; ethnicity, and the environment, yet ethnic and gender neutral approaches to sustainability may be incomplete. We studied gender, ethnicity and environmental concern ·with an internet sample of Asian American women (n=157) and men (n=69), and European American women (n=222) and men (n=99). Participants completed the New Ecological Paradigm measure (NEP; Dunlap et al., 2000), the value bases of environmental concern (Schultz, 2000), and the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure-Revised (MEIMR; Phinney & Ong, 2007). A 2 ( ethnicity) x 2 (gender) ANOVA found no gender or ethnic differences on the NEPA 2 ( ethnicity) x 2 (gender) MANOVA with the three value bases as dependent variables found significant effects for ethnicity and gender. Ethnic identification enhanced cultural influences on environmental concern. Findings are discussed in terms of the marketing of environmental sustainability to address climate change and other environmental risks