Why stars are silent about sexual harassment: the voice of a psychologist
In 2017, dozens of allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault against young actresses surfaced. These allegations have prompted several celebrities to speak out on similar issues. After analyzing hundreds of celebrity confessions, scientists found that all of these complaints and confessions belonged to women. This prevalence led the author to write an article that raises the question of why men, despite the sensitive nature of the problem, do not react in any way to such a serious and pressing problem. Writer and director Lena Dunham also wrote an investigative article, which will be discussed in this article.
Contents of the article:
How the Concept of Sharing Responsibility Works
In particular, Dunham offered her explanations. Among some of her arguments, she gives one of the first reasons (in her opinion) why men do not go to the masses with problems. On the other hand, this is due to their natural instincts and psychological factors.
A common phenomenon that arises precisely in situations where people need help is the concept of diffusion of responsibility. The main tenets of this concept are the more people involved in the problem of a particular person, the less likely it is that the victim will be helped. Paradoxical but true.
Why? This is not because everyone in the immediate vicinity fails to recognize the problem, or because some unknown accident prevents them from doing so. And not because they are capricious and do not care about it. This happens because as the group of knowledgeable people expands, each person feels less and less personal responsibility for his support. Everyone subconsciously begins to think that others will help those in need. Nothing needs to be done — a subtle mechanism of human nature. This doesn”t mean you are a bad person. The fact is that some mechanism of the human psyche is responsible for this.
Avoidance of responsibility is a powerful social force. Unfortunately, even if people can help, even if it is a matter of life or death, it unfairly forces you to stay away from the problem. However, there is some good news. This is not an irresistible force. This indifferent mutual responsibility can be avoided. It is enough to ask a specific person for help. When others see his behavior, another psychological subtlety comes into play — the herd reflex. The rest follow the example of the first person.
Read also: New sexual orientation — scoliosexuality
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Silence and its destructive power
Analyzing the Weinstein case, a number of conclusions can be drawn. It all depends on how influential the person with whom the unpleasant situation occurred. For example, if this happens to an influential and prominent person — someone who can influence culture — he will not be afraid and will tell the whole world about it. Others may be afraid of how society will react. Either because of the lack of all-consuming authority, or because of some dark factor that they rush to remember from their biography. It is important to understand that while powerful men remain silent, those who do not have such influence also remain on the sidelines, and the anger towards women continues. Reflections of phlox, remember?
Incredible Hollywood sexual harassment scandal — film news
Personal interest
In addition to the dispersal of responsibility, there is another factor — self-interest. According to psychologists and other scientists, people in any situation unconsciously act based on their own interests. Few people know that when people act in their own selfish interests, they put themselves in a worse position than when they act in the interests of society.
Returning to the Weinstein case, we see that the silence of Hollywood men reflects their selfish interests. After all, many of these men are risking their image and careers by taking sides. Silence is the key to their stable career and overall well-being. However, the statements carry certain risks.
A striking example of this is Ben Affleck”s tweet on Twitter, in which he sharply condemned Weinstein: “I”m not a fan of the artist, I”m a fan of the artist. However, many users began to accuse the artist of hypocrisy, many of them reminded Affleck of his past (not in that form, but still) inappropriate behavior towards women. At some point, Affleck”s tweet turned into a real PR disaster. Many Hollywood stars, seeing what happened to innocent recording, they accept silence as a strategy. They do not want to be accused of hypocrisy. While silence is safe and easy, most people choose this option. When a person is silent, he becomes depressed and takes the side of the public, it is perceived as PR or hypocrisy. For most people, the lesser evil is silence.
Incredible sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood — Film News
