Bystander effect

We often think of a neighbor as simply someone who lives nearby. But true neighborliness goes beyond proximity or shared walls.

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Though we may live in adjacent houses, apartments, or condominiums, we may be unwilling to engage with one another’s lives. When someone around us is in danger or distress, we may fall into what psychologists call the “bystander effect.” We act like bystanders, choosing to remain passive observers in the face of our neighbor’s suffering.