Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels

Written by Catherine A. Sanderson

Narrated by Catherine A. Sanderson

In the face of wrongdoing, why do good people so often do nothing? Pioneering psychologist Catherine A. Sanderson explains why moral courage is so rare – and how we can all learn to be brave.

We are bombarded every day by reports of bad behaviour: from sexual harassment to political corruption, from bullying to corporate greed. We believe these things are wrong or even evil, but in practice few of us choose to intercede.

Why We Act draws on the latest developments in psychology and neuroscience to explain why we act differently in groups than when we are alone; how slippery slopes begin and prosper; and where the dissonance lies between good intentions and real action.

Sanderson answers the question of why otherwise good people can become bystanders to evil of any scale, and gives practical strategies for how to resist pressures and make change in our own lives.

Courage, this book shows, is not a virtue we’re born with or without. A bystander can learn to be brave.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Apr 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008408503

Catherine A. Sanderson

Catherine A. Sanderson is a leading expert on positive psychology. She is the Manwell Family Professor of Life Sciences (Psychology) at Amherst College, and her research examines how personality, persuasive messages, and social variables influence health-related behaviors and the predictors of relationship satisfaction. In 2012, she was named one of the country’s top 300 professors by The Princeton Review. She speaks regularly for public and corporate audiences and has authored several books.