Pluralistic Ignorance

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Over the course of humanity, people have been called to action in times of crisis in order to improve the wellbeing of others. Despite the risks the individual may face, people have and will continue to commit prosocial behaviors in order to assist in times of crisis. In the event of these ambiguous situations, we often are influenced by those we are surrounded by or the environment in which the emergency is taking place. In most cases, the difference in group size is often enough to influence the immediate actions of individuals. Those who experience the emergency alone, alone, are often fast-acting and concise in their decision making. However, the rate at which these people help or act accordingly drastically reduces when more individuals …show more content…
In short, pluralistic ignorance is often defined as when people believe that others are feeling or thinking differently than they are, even though the others are behaving similarly (Miller, 303). In most cases, we often underestimate our abilities in a situation and look to others for an answer when those around us are often ignorant of the situation or are afraid to speak up. During events such as this, it can be the catalyst for social paralysis within a group and halt any actions or solutions that may arise through instinctive action. Focusing on information about our environment can often be highly misleading, making it extremely detrimental when attempting to address emergencies (Shamir, 255). Therefore, it can create a confusing and dangerous situation for everyone involved. Much of this confusion arises from observation and proposition-based pluralistic ignorance. When norm-based pluralistic ignorance arises, observing the expressions of others, it translates into proposition-based pluralistic ignorance. Simply put, it creates the assumption that everyone has an attitude that conflicts with how the situation should be addressed (Rendsvig,

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