1. Ervin Staub University of Massachusetts at Amherst Buffalo, March 2019
“Passi Passive bystandership and helping people become active bystanders/upstanders.
Ervin Staub
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Buffalo, March 2019

2. Some articles related to this talk can be dowloaded at:
Recent books
Overcoming evil: Genocide, violent conflict, terrorism, 2011
The roots of goodness and resistance to evil: inclusive caring, moral courage, altruism born of suffering, active bystandership and heroism, 2015

3. The power of single individuals to make a
difference, even for a whole society.
Ron Ridenhour; Armin Wegner; Raoul Wallenberg; Joe Darby
My study of bystanders influencing other bystanders,
Staub, 1974

4. What is a bystander?
A bystander is a witness who is in a position to know what is happening and in a position to take positive action (Staub, 2005).
Active and passive bystanders.
Why ”in a position to know?”
Our study on a quiet street of Cambridge MA around
1970 (Staub and Bear, JPSP, 1974).
In genocide also, bystanders often close their eyes.
“Ordinary” Germans I interviewed in Trier.
Or deny. The U.S. about Rwanda—“genocidal events.”

5. What motivates people to act in others’ behalf?
I. Personal dispositions acquired in childhood
or later: empathy, moral beliefs such as justice.
Our research on helping in physical and psychological distress. Prosocial value orientation. Its central components are a positive view of human beings and a feeling of responsibility for others’ welfare,
Feinberg, 1978, Grodman, 1979, Staub, 1974, 1979, 1980;
Also the role of competence.

6. For example: circumstances focusing responsibility on a person
A study of Canadian heroes: MacNamee and Wesolick: parents’ expectation that the child will help—which presumably creates a feeling of responsibility.
II. The influence of circumstances, other people, community standards that have developed.
For example: circumstances focusing responsibility on a person

7. The evolution of violence. Or from “external bystanders.”
Genocide
The evolution of violence.
Once harmful actions against a minority begin, without restraining forces there can be an
evolution of increasing violence. Steps along the continuum of destruction.
The restraining forces have to come from members of the population who are neither perpetrators nor victims—from “internal bystanders”.
Or from “external bystanders.”

8. Partly, it is guided by leaders, elites.
This evolution is partly “natural,” in that individuals and groups learn by doing, change as a result of their own actions—as they justify their harmful actions by increased devaluation and a destructive ideology.
Partly, it is guided by leaders, elites.
I found such evolution in all genocides/mass killings I have studied: the Holocaust, Armenians in Turkey, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Argentina, some terrorist groups.
Also in experimental studies: Buss. Bandura et al. Milgram?

9. Rwanda—other countries taking out their nationals.
The usual response of both internal and external bystanders in the course of this evolution has been passivity, and sometimes complicity.
Rwanda—other countries taking out their nationals.
Some exceptions to passivity, when bystanders did act.
The “euthanasia” program in Germany. Victims not seen as “others,” humane values were applied to them. Protests.
German wives.
The abolitionists in the U.S. Joining with like minded others in active bystandership
Bystander actions in relation to South Africa. The Bahai.
Identification, empathy, seeing one’s shared humanity.

10. Empathy and responsibility for others’ welfare.
Once killings begin, a very small number of people become “rescuers,” endangering themselves and their families.
Oliner and Oliner (1988). Child rearing—similar to research findings in experimental research, “positive socialization”; the model of a humanitarian parent; family has more connection to “others.”
Empathy and responsibility for others’ welfare.
Sometimes the same people can be rescuers (of people they are connected to) and perpetrators. My interview with
a member of a rescuing family in Rwanda.

11. Not only negative evolution, also positive evolution.
Rescuers: some agree to limited helping in response to a request, and then help a great deal more. Oliner and Oliner, 1988; Staub, 1989
My research with children. Learning by doing. Staub, 1979, 2015

12. Harm-doers believe, when there is no
opposition, that bystanders support
what they do.
When bystanders remain passive, they change.
Some join the perpetrators.
Goebbels.

13. Interventions in the real world: Rwanda, Ervin Staub, Laurie Pearlman.
Our aims: healing, reconciliation, preventing new violence—activating bystanders.
People in Rwanda when we arrived.
Workshops/trainings with many different groups, from staff of local organizations to national leaders.
Helping people see the origins of genocide/group violence as understandable psychological and social processes, its progressive evolution, traumatic impact on survivors, and their implication for prevention and reconciliation. Not seeing the other as simply evil makes reconciliation more possible. Believing that others don’t see one’s group as simply evil also makes reconciliation more possible.
Evaluation study

14. A visit with community members
A visit with community members. The facilitators we first trained worked with groups in the community. With Athanase Mugabe, a Rwandan research assistant, Alexandra Gubin, then a UMass graduate student, and Ervin Staub.

15. Singing during a training

16. A small group meeting

17. A small group meeting. Usually in Kinyarwanda, the local language, sometimes in French, someone translating.

18. The 2 year birthday of our research assistant’s daughter
The 2 year birthday of our research assistant’s daughter. Many of her mother’s family members were killed.

20. Working toward a constructive, inclusive vision/ideology that can engage, possibly unite large segments of the country.

21. Our approach: experiential understanding.
Acknowledging different narratives about America, different ideals of the country, such as for and anti-choice, The women’s group in Israel. Does acknowledgment create some potential for dialogue?
Working to generate understanding of each other, and thereby to some degree affirm divergent groups and their ideals—e.g. both those who want to kneel during the anthem and those who strongly feel that it is wrong.
Our approach: experiential understanding.
Helping people accept that there are different narratives, e.g. white supremacists and liberals, may generate some change and is a possible and honorable role for psychologists.

22. Formal evaluation study; once removed.
Informal evaluation. ‘So this was not God’s punishment. ’‘If we know how such violence begins we can act to prevent it.’
Formal evaluation study; once removed.
Staub, Pearlman, Gubin, Hagengimana, 2005
Three groups, many subgroups
Created more positive orientation by Hutus and Tutsis to each other (willing to work together for the sake of the children, etc)
Reduced trauma symptoms
Contributed to “conditional forgiveness,”

23. Staub and Pearlman, 2009, JPSP
Educational radio programs
Radio programs, in Rwanda (and Burundi and the DRC).
Ervin Staub, Laurie Pearlman, George Weiss.
Storyline, communication messages, episodes.
Examples of communication messages:
Genocide evolves as individuals and groups change as a result of their actions.
Devaluation increases the likelihood of violence while humanization decreases it.
The healing of psychological wounds helps people live more satisfying lives and makes unnecessary defensive violence less likely.
Varied perspectives, open communication, and moderate respect for authority in society make the evolution of violence less likely.
Staub and Pearlman, 2009, JPSP

24. In the story, examples of active bystandership. Evaluation study.
More empathy, people say more what they believe, more independence of authority, more engagement in reconciliation activities
Paluck, 2009, also Staub and Pearlman, 2009, Staub, 2011
U.S. associates for Rwanda (and Burundi and Congo) projects, Sandi Gubin, Vachel Miller, Johanna Vollhardt, Rezarta Bilali, Adin Thayer,

25. Interventions in the real world.
I. After the killing of Theo van Gogh and violence between groups, improve Dutch Muslim relations in Amsterdam.. Staub, 2007
The city government as active bystander.
Propositions that the City government acted on.
Jeroen DeLange, 2007
Our approach to interventions: generate experiential understanding.

26. Trainings in active bystandership
II, Police officers, to prevent or stop fellow officers from doing unnecessary harm. Protects both community members and police
III, Students in schools, to prevent harmful behavior.
Police in California, New Orleans
Discuss reasons for harmful behavior (for example, wanting complete obedience);
Learning about inhibitors of active bystandership
Skills in intervening in the least forceful manner that may be effective
Engaging other bystanders as allies

27. Police—loyalty, support fellow officers regardless of what they do.
To change culture/system, good teamwork has to be redefined.
Everyone has to be trained; Superiors cannot remain passive.
The Stanford Prison Study
Abu Ghraib
The effects of the training on police in New Orleans

28. Training students to be active bystanders:
See curriculum at
(Least happy students at school—excluded students).
Evaluation study. 20% decline in harmful behavior.
See Chapter 16 in The roots of goodness and resistance to evil.

29. ======================================
Avenues to caring, helping, moral courage, active bystandership.
1. Positive socialization.
Warmth/affection, guidance by values/reasoning/induction, making sure that children act on those values but not punitively, positive models, learning by doing/including positive behavior across group lines—inclusive caring. The exercise of courage
2. Altruism born of suffering. Staub, 2003, 2005, Staub and Vollhardt, 2008, Vollhardt and Staub, 2011
3. Training in active bystandership.
4. Social norms/culture that promote and/or prescribe active bystandership. Like the police now in New Orleans.
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30. Devaluation of a potential victim group. Humanizing the group.
Caring about other people and their welfare is crucial for active bystandership—without that, why would anyone help?
Why are bystander passive in individual and group situations and how to change that.
Devaluation of a potential victim group. Humanizing the group.
2. In difficult times it is challenging for people to deviate from their group. An inclusive community, connections can help.

31. 4. Pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility.
3. Scapegoating and destructive ideology. Create a constructive ideology. Rwanda—and its challenges.
4. Pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility.
Latane and Darley. Chile. Find ways to do this.
5. The costs of opposing an authoritarian system—government, police, at times schools. Finding allies, relevant organizations.
6. Early steps in the evolution can be small. Education to create awareness of the evolution. Rwanda. Police.
7. Past victimization: Support, help people understand their woundedness, healing.
The end