Beyond Victim Blaming: Students’ Perceptions of Bystanders Who Fail to Intervene

ABSTRACT

Bystander intervention education has been a common feature on college campuses for more than a decade. Although research has explored the degree to which bystander training influences students’ attitudes toward sexual assault, their perceptions of their own efficacy to intervene, and their intentions to help others, very little is known about how such training impacts students’ perceptions of bystanders who knowingly fail to intervene. In other words, what impact is bystander education having on broader expectations for bystander behaviors? This research addresses this question using in-depth interview data from 51 college students. Results suggest that although students report a general expectation that bystanders should intervene in sexually threatening situations, intrapersonal, microsystem, exosystem, and macrosystem factors, nonetheless, interact with one another to excuse or justify nonintervention by bystanders. Implications for campus programming are discussed.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Meagan Brant and Tom Henry for assistance with data collection.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mellisa Holtzman

Mellisa Holtzman is professor of sociology at Ball State University. Her research interests are centered on sex, gender, and sexual assault prevention. Her published work includes articles in Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Journal of American College Health, Law and Social Inquiry, Sociological Focus, and Teaching Sociology. Mellisa is the co-creator and current director of Elemental, a sexual assault protection program that utilizes both primary prevention and risk reduction training for students.