Goals of Step Up!
It is very important that we all feel free to
have an open, honest, and non-judgmental
discussion about the material presented.
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Raise awareness of helping behaviors
Increase motivation to help
Develop skills and confidence when responding to
problems or concerns
Ensure the safety and well-being of yourself and
others
What are the 3 BIGGEST
issues you see?
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Hazing
Discrimination
Anger Issues
Sexual Assault
Academic Misconduct
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Alcohol
Depression
Disordered Eating
Gambling
Relationship Violence
The five decision making steps
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Notice the Event
Interpret it as a problem
Assume Personal Responsibility
Know How to Help
Step-Up!
What Variables Affect Helping
• Individual - A person’s knowledge, skill set, confidence,
sense of social responsibility etc.
• Situational - Severity of
need; are there other
people around? What
are the costs of helping?
• Victim - Do you know
the person? Do you think
they deserve help? Will
they accept help?
Journalist pulling child away from gunfire after earthquake in Haiti.
Factors that affect helping
• Ambiguity
• Is it a problem? Is it not? Err on the side of caution and INVESTIGATE!
• Conformity
• Informational Influence – Following the lead of someone who
appears to have more information than you.
• Pluralistic Ignorance – Following the lead of the non-concerned
majority.
• Normative Influence – Following the group to fit in or be liked.
• Groupthink – When members try to minimize conflict and reach
consensus without critically testing, analyzing, or evaluating ideas.
• May cause groups to make hasty irrational decisions where
individual doubts are set aside due to a desire to avoid being seen as
foolish or to avoid embarrassing or angering other members of the
group.
• Spiral of Silence – The belief that one’s thoughts are in the minority,
making voicing one’s opinion less likely.
• Silence contributes to the problem
Step 2: INTERPRET IT AS A PROBLEM
• Ask yourself…
• Does it go against your morals?
• Does this problem go against the norm in a
negative way?
• Is this problem hurting you or the other
people?
Step 3: Assume Responsibility
• Bystander Effect: People are more likely to intervene
when they are alone than when they are part of a group
• This occurs because of responsibility diffusion
• Responsibility assumed and number of people present
is an inverse relationship
• There are many documented occurrences where
bystander effect has resulted in loss of life
• Example
• Other reasons people don’t act:
• Others more qualified or skilled
• Afraid of peer judgment
• Simply do not feel responsible
Strategies
• If something seems ambiguous, look into it! See what
others think.
• Err on the side of caution and investigate.
• Be mindful of group pressure and be prepared to react to
it.
• Break through Pluralistic Ignorance and the Spiral of
Silence. Take a stand!
• If you are a victim, let others know you need help – Be
specific if possible (i.e., “You in the red shirt, please
help.”)
Step 4: Know How to Help
• Often people want to help, but might not know what to
do (knowledge) or how to do it (skills).
• Help can come in two forms:
• Direct: I.e. Intervening on someone’s behalf, getting
involved.
• Indirect: I.e. Calling an ambulance or the police
• NEVER put yourself in harm’s way. Intervene in the safest
way possible.
• Be prepared – Try to imagine different scenarios and how
you would respond. Make a plan or rules with friends
before going out.
Step 5: Implement Step UP!
• Challenges:
• Costs involved
• Minimizing cost/Maximizing reward
• Costs of intervening vs. Costs of not intervening.
• Strategies:
• Carefully consider the situation before taking action.
• BE THE FIRST!
• Create shared and agreed upon standards of behavior and
expectations within any group or organization.
Perspective Taking
• What would you want someone to do for you
or a loved one in the same situation?
• Imagine how the other person thinks and feels
• Imagine being in the same situation
• Imagine you are the other person
• Traits that are highly related to High
Perspective Taking:
• Patience, reasonableness, and sensitivity.
• Traits negatively related to High Perspective
Taking:
• Aggressiveness , sarcasm.
Obedience to Authority: Milgram Experiment
• One more challenge to helping is when people do things
because a perceived authority figure told them to.
• “All evil starts with 15 volts.”- Philip Zimbardo. All
Problems start off as minor incidents and gradually
escalate – people will keep pushing the limits because it
is accepted by the larger group. Action for prevention
must be immediate to prevent escalation.
• The colligate problem of hazing is a form of Obedience to
Authority.
The S.E.E. Model
• Safe Responding
• Never put yourself in harm’s way. Talk to someone, make a
phone call (911 if necessary) and/or engage others.
• Early Intervention
• “All evil starts with 15 volts” – Intervene early before the
problem escalates.
• Effective Helping
• Know what to do and how to do it. Remember the Law of
Delivery: Who (person/s), What (content), When (timing),
Where (location/privacy), Why (reasons), and How (tone).
Emergency Helping
• Stay calm
• Gather information
• Consider your options – direct/indirect
helping
• Provide support but do not become
enmeshed
• Know your limits- walk away if the
situation is unsafe
Non-Emergency Helping
• Consider the frequency, duration and severity of
the problem
• Define the problem and the barriers
• Determine the goal; develop a game plan
• Set boundaries - don’t enable
• Maintain respect
• Consider options; know referrals
Intervention Styles
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Turtle - Doesn’t want to get involved
Teddy Bear - Just wants to be liked
Shark - Wants to save the day
Fox - Gives thought and perspective to
intervention
• Owl - Most creative, experienced and
successful problem solver; highest in social
and emotional intelligence
Friends Helping Friends
• I care
• I see
• I feel
• I want
• I will
Top 5 Reasons We Intervene
• It is the right thing to do
• I would want someone to help me in
the same situation
• Someone needs help
• We should look out for one another
• So the situation doesn’t escalate
Implement Step UP!
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Notice the event
Interpret it as a problem
Assume personal responsibility
Know how you can be helpful
Step up!
Scenario
A group of friends are having a party. Two of your close
friends have confided in you that they don’t drink and
aren’t huge “partiers” but since they want to make more
friends they want to go.
You are there, everyone seems to be having a good time
and someone suggests a drinking game. People start to
gather around a table as the leader begins to explain the
rules of the game. Your close friends, who confided in you
earlier, initially decline to join but the others begin hassling
them. You can see that they are uncomfortable. They look
at you. What do you do?
Questions
• For those who drink, what determines how much, or if, you
will drink? Do you drink more when you are really happy or
really sad. Do you think it will make a good time better?
• Does your peer group have rules about alcohol? What about
personal rules? Do you personally make the choice to not
drink during certain times? Why or why not?
• Do rules or codes of conduct curb behavior? What does?
• For those who drink, do you feel anxiety around those who
don’t drink and vice versa?
• Discuss the pull between choices you sometimes have to make
around alcohol?
• How can drinking games get out of control (competitive
nature)? What are some things you could do to diminish this?
Considerations
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One drink: 12 oz. beer = 4 oz. of table wine = 1 oz. 100% proof liquor
Cancels out gains from workout
Causes dehydration and slows body’s healing process
Prevents muscle recovery
Depletes energy
Hampers memory, retention and ability to learn new information
• Drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages can affect brain and body activities for up
to 3 days
• 2 consecutive nights of drinking 5 or more alcoholic beverages can affect brain
and body activities for up to 5 days
• Constricts metabolism and endurance
• Requires increased conditioning to maintain weight
• Inhibits absorption of nutrients
Other Considerations
• A person drinking alcohol can have side effects for others
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Study/sleep time disrupted by other students’ alcohol use
Violence from alcohol related physical and sexual assaults
Campus environment negatively affected by vandalism
Insults/arguments and threats instigated by intoxicated students
• BAC is affected by the pace of drinking, quantity consumed,
food in stomach, altitude, fatigue, gender, medications, mood
and body mass
• Binge drinking is particularly unsafe. The normal “buzz” is not
felt - it goes straight to extreme symptoms
Considerations for Women
• Women have different health concerns around the consumption
of alcohol than do men. Women should drink less than men
(given the same weight) due to a number of factors including:
• Different rates of metabolism
• Lower levels of the enzyme dehydrogenase (breaks down alcohol in
the stomach)
• Higher percentage of body fat and less body water
• Alcohol absorption rates are affected by changes in estrogen levels
related to the menstrual cycle
• Health problems related to drinking develop more quickly for
women than men, including alcoholism
• Women who drink more than one alcoholic beverage per day
increase their risk for breast cancer
Did You Know?
• Alcohol leaves the system at .015%/hour.
• If your BAC is .20 at 1 AM it will not return to normal until 3 PM the next
afternoon. Think of how that may affect you for a test, practice or a game.
• Body treats alcohol as fat!
• The normal reaction to alcohol has to phases.
• First phase: Occurs while the BAC is low (mild “buzz”).
• Second phase: “Point of diminishing returns” (effects become negative;
fatigue, physical impairment, etc.). Happens above .06 for non-tolerant
drinkers. More is not always better.
• Every person’s predisposition to alcoholism/ addiction is different
• Student-athletes reported that 85% of the time a negative situation
from drinking too much could have been avoided if someone had
intervened.
Action Steps
**UNDER NO CIRCUMSTACES SHOULD YOU LET INDIVIDUALS DRIVE
WHILE IMPAIRED**
• 1. Plan ahead - Set limits before going out
• 2. Encourage friends to stop drinking (or take their drink away, if
necessary) before they’ve had too much
• 3. Stay with friends to be sure they’re okay
• 4. Remove friends from drinking situation if necessary
• 5. Consume non-alcoholic beverages first
• 6. Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks
• 7. Sip, don’t gulp!
• 8. Consume food before and during alcohol consumption
• 9. Don’t drink while taking medication
• 10. Avoid taking Aspirin if drinking. (DO NOT take Tylenol or other
Acetaminophen medication for a hangover; liver damage may result)
• 11. If necessary, discuss problematic behavior with friends when sober
Step 5: Implement Step UP!
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Notice the event
Interpret it as a problem
Assume personal responsibility
Know how you can be helpful
Step up!