Which inhibitor involves devaluing the victim?

• A. Pluralistic Ignorance
• B. Diffusion of Responsibility
• C. Cost or fear of helping
• D. Devaluation of the victim

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is how a person’s perception of the victim can suppress helping. When the bystander devalues the victim, they see the person as less worthy of care or less deserving of help. That shift in judgment lowers empathic concern and the moral impulse to intervene, making help less likely even in clear, urgent situations.

Other inhibitors describe different barriers: pluralistic ignorance is about misreading others’ inaction as evidence that no help is needed; diffusion of responsibility is the sense that someone else will or should intervene; costs or fear of helping involves concerns about personal risk, embarrassment, or negative consequences. None of these directly capture the idea of viewing the victim as less worthy of assistance, which is why devaluation of the victim is the best fit.