Reyes, Pauline Gaile S.

Psychology
Social Psychology Professor Dorina Arcenal

People are sometimes advised to yell “fire” instead of “help” if they are attacked. Based on
what you learned about bystander intervention and the bystander effect, why might this make
a difference.

Recognizing that someone truly needs help is one of the first steps in anyone's
decision to assist another. In order to do this, the bystander must be aware that they are seeing
an emergency and that the victim needs help. Therefore, one of the main reasons why
eyewitnesses do not act is because they are not even aware that they are witnessing a crime.
We frequently watch others to see how they are responding when we are in an uncertain
circumstance and unsure whether there is an emergency or not. We consider the views of
others before making a decision because we believe they may be aware of information that we
are not.

Self-defense instructors frequently advise women to scream "fire" rather than "help"
if a guy is attacking them. This is due to the fact that the word "help" is frequently used in
non-life-threatening circumstances, so hearing it does not always signal an emergency. On the
other hand, we only exclaim "fire" when there is a real fire, and in some circumstances, it is
against the law to do so normally (e.g., in a crowded theater). Therefore, by shouting "fire,"
you immediately alert everyone in your local vicinity that an emergency has occurred.