What would you do if you saw a buddy with a uniform violation? Would you quietly point it out to him, call him out in front of your squad leader, or leave him to figure it out himself? Bystander intervention behaviors are driven by complex psychological processes. Sometimes intervention behaviors are motivated by who is around you at the time, how much time you have to help someone, or whether you recognize the need for assistance.
As highlighted in the August 2020 ARD Community Link Newsletter, ARD developed Engage, a program based on research suggesting that individuals can be trained to identify and act when intervention can improve an outcome. Engage is a two-hour training that targets intervention behaviors. Soldiers are encouraged to develop the skills to intervene early and effectively when they see something happening that could have adverse effects. Understanding what prompts people to act can help increase the likelihood that they will do something to change the trajectory of a situation.
Ultimately, for people to act in these often subtle or challenging situations, research suggests that they must traverse three main decision points: 1) Am I aware of alerts? 2) Do I feel responsible? and 3) Do I have a plan of action? If they do not respond affirmatively to all three decision points, they will fail to engage.
In an evaluation conducted by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, it was determined that the training increased knowledge in nine key intervention areas, such as examples of direct and indirect intervention, understanding the taillight effect, and reasons why people often resist help. Soldiers who took the training also reported an increased appreciation of peer intervention and high confidence in their ability to intervene in situations involving substance abuse, sexual harassment and sexual assault, and suicidal comments. Finally, Soldiers appreciated the interactivity of the training and 83% said they would recommend it to other Soldiers.
Knowing how to respond in situations with potential negative outcomes can be challenging. Engage training may help Soldiers become more aware of alerts as to when intervention could change the trajectory of a situation, recognize a responsibility to act, and have a plan to intervene in the situation. Choosing to engage may make all the difference in a Soldier's life; ultimately, it is these consistent choices to engage with Soldiers around us that will shift the Army culture.
(Editor’s Note: The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the author, and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense).
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