ABSTRACT
The case of 'Kitty' Genovese is regarded as the catalyst for research into the phenomenon of bystander behaviour. Indeed, psychologists still debate the causes of what is sometimes known as the 'Genovese syndrome'. This chapter presents the Catherine Genovese murder. Winston Moseley, a manual worker was arrested for murder. Soon after this crime, many experts tried to explain the apathy of the bystanders. In an emergency situation, if all the other bystanders are also uncertain and looking for guidance, then looking to others can produce the wrong guidance, sometimes resulting in no action at all. Perhaps, the neighbourhood witnesses looked for signs of action in the apartments, saw none and simply didnot interpret it as an emergency situation. Latane and Darley wondered whether it was precisely because there were so many witnesses to the murder that no-one helped. Most of the explanations remained mere conjecture and so two New York-based psychology professors decided to research the area of bystander behaviour.
