Reasons for passivity, the roots of active bystandership, and trainings to develop it.

In this article, I discuss the personal and professional experiences and influences that led me to the study of active bystandership. Research, my own and that of many others, has investigated the roots of active bystandership, why people intervene to prevent harm, and why they do not. Most importantly, we have demonstrated that active bystandership can be learned.

Building a peaceful society: origins, prevention, and reconciliation after genocide and other group violence.

The 20th century was a century of genocide and other great violence between groups within societies. Already at the beginning of the 21st century, there have been mass killings, civil wars, violent conflict, and terrorism. This article summarizes influences that tend to lead to intense group violence.

Inclusive altruism born of suffering: the relationship between adversity and prosocial attitudes and behavior toward disadvantaged outgroups.

This article reports the results of 2 studies examining altruism born of suffering (E. Staub & J. R.

Reducing intergroup prejudice and conflict: a commentary.

This commentary describes an alternative conceptual framework for interpreting the effects that E. L. Paluck (2009) found in evaluating a public education radio drama in Rwanda.

Altruism born of suffering: the roots of caring and helping after victimization and other trauma.

Research on altruism has focused on its positive roots, whereas research on the effects of victimization and suffering has focused on aggression and difficulties in functioning. However, anecdotal evidence, case studies, and some empirical research indicate that victimization and suffering can also lead people to care about and help others. This article examines the relation of "altruism born of suffering" to resilience and posttraumatic growth, and proposes potentially facilitating influences on altruism born of suffering during, after, and preceding victimization and trauma.