Bystander

According to Psychology Today’s article “Bystander Effect,” “the bystander effect occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation, against a bully or during an assault or other crime.” In Bystander, many students witness Griffin’s bullying of David Hallenback but do and say nothing to stop it. Griffin’s group also garners an audience when Cody beats up Eric in the pet cemetery, but no one objects to the one-sided fight; they just stand and watch. People behave differently as members of a group than they do as individuals; a mob mentality often takes over.

Social psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley identify social influence as a contributing factor to the bystander effect (Psychology Today). According to Latané and Darley, “social influence means that individuals monitor the behavior of those around them to determine how to act” (Psychology Today). In Griffin’s case, he is not a lone wolf; he is the leader of a popular clique at school. Should a member of Griffin’s clique challenge his bullying, the group is more likely to reject them than stand with them. Fear of retaliation (and becoming a target) also deters individuals from speaking up.