Diffusion of responsibility occurs when no one in a large group takes action or responsibility for an event. Examples include the bystander effect and groupthink. It only applies to very large groups, and can be prevented if a single member takes charge or if the situation affects group members personally.
Diffusion of responsibility is a term used in the social sciences to describe phenomena in which none of the members of a large group takes a particular action or takes responsibility for what happens. The phenomenon of diffusion of responsibility can take many different forms. It occurs, for example, when a large group of people witness a crime happening but do nothing to stop it or get help. In a different situation, subordinates who commit an illegal act may claim that they have just followed orders while those responsible defend themselves by saying that they have only given orders but have not acted. In both cases, no person or group of people actually takes responsibility or action, and the group actually “absorbs” it.
There are several sociological phenomena that fall into the category of diffusion of responsibility. One example, groupthink, occurs in highly cohesive groups of people who work closely together on a regular basis without major variations in group composition. It is commonly observed that, in the interest of reaching a unanimous decision, members of such groups often fail to discuss possible problems or alternatives. Another phenomenon, the bystander effect – or Genovese syndrome – occurs when individuals do not offer help in emergency situations when they know other people are present. Social psychologists believe that individuals look to other people to determine how to act in such situations, then do nothing when they observe that everyone else is doing nothing.
It is important to note that diffusion of responsibility only applies to very large groups. A group of three or four people is much more likely to react to witnessing a crime than a group of three to four hundred people. Individuals in a smaller group know that everyone has the same perspective on the event, so they can’t convince themselves that they aren’t simply misinterpreting the situation. Also, people in smaller groups can usually talk about how to handle a situation, while there are too many people in large groups for any discussion to be worthwhile.
Many different factors can prevent the philosophy from spreading. If a single group member takes charge and acts on a situation, the diffusion of responsibility tends to cease. Diffusion of responsibility is also less likely to occur when the situation may actually affect one or more group members. People are much more likely to take action when they have a personal interest in what happened.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
