Definition Of Diffusion Of Responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility occurs when people feel less responsibility for taking action in a given situation because there are other people who could also be responsible for taking action.

Definition of diffusion of responsibility. For example imagine that you are in a large city on a bustling street. Diffusion of responsibility is a sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. The lessening of responsibility by individuals in a group situation or social collective. In a famous study on diffusion of responsibility people were less likely to help someone having a seizure when they believed there were others present.

Considered a form of attribution the individual assumes that others either are responsible for taking action or have already done so. The diffusion of responsibility is the social psychology phenomenon that individuals are less likely to take action when a larger number of people are present. When there is a group we also feel minimized guilt. The tendency for persons in a group to fail to act e g in an emergency because others are present and the responsibility for acting is diffused causing a bystander effect.

Psychology definition of diffusion of responsibility. Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon in which people are less likely to take action when in the presence of a large group of people. Sometimes referred to as the bystander effect many studies have investigated the diffusion of responsibility its possible causes and how we experience it as both individuals and part of a bigger.