The Kitty Genovese murder and the social psychology of helping

The parable of the 38 witnesses

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8722926
AutoresRachel Manning (0000-0002-8450-4104, autor de correspondencia), Mark Levine (0000-0002-3682-711X), Alan F Collins (0000-0002-7229-4349), Alan Collins (0000-0001-9805-9091)
Año2007
Volumen62
Número6
Páginas555-562
Fecha de publicación2007-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X
EditorialAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1037/0003-066x.62.6.555
PMID17874896
OpenAlexW2048188670
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas48
Referencias citadas7

This article argues that an iconic event in the history of helping research -- the story of the 38 witnesses who remained inactive during the murder of Kitty Genovese -- is not supported by the available evidence. Using archive material, the authors show that there is no evidence for the presence of 38 witnesses, or that witnesses observed the murder, or that witnesses remained inactive. Drawing a distinction between the robust bystander research tradition and the story of the 38 witnesses, the authors explore the consequences of the story for the discipline of psychology. They argue that the story itself plays a key role in psychology textbooks. They also suggest that the story marks a new way of conceptualizing the dangers of immersion in social groups. Finally, they suggest that the story itself has become a modern parable, the telling of which has served to limit the scope of inquiry into emergency helping

Criminology · Psychoanalysis · Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology · Counseling Practices and Supervision · Psychology · Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications · Social Psychology