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Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention pp 423–432Cite as

History and Theoretical Understanding of Bystander Intervention

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Abstract

This chapter begins with a brief history of sexual violence prevention and how this history has paved the way for bystander intervention as a method for the prevention of sexual violence. As bystander intervention gains traction, especially among prevention programs for college students, there is increasing evaluation of these programs. This chapter explores the efficacy of bystander intervention as well as examining the limitations. Studies examining bystander intervention programs and research evaluating these programs will be used to identify the efficacy and limitations. Lastly, this chapter recommends ideas for how the field of bystander intervention can become more effective through integration of multidisciplinary theory.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Criminology, Law and Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Laurel Mazar

Authors
  1. Laurel Mazar
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Correspondence to Laurel Mazar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    William T. O’Donohue

  2. Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Paul A. Schewe

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Mazar, L. (2019). History and Theoretical Understanding of Bystander Intervention. In: O’Donohue, W.T., Schewe, P.A. (eds) Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23645-8_25

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