{"id":310,"date":"2023-09-14T08:40:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T08:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irwbresearch.wp.worc.ac.uk\/?p=310"},"modified":"2023-09-14T08:40:08","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T08:40:08","slug":"addressing-the-amber-the-importance-of-noticing-and-tackling-low-level-problematic-behaviours","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irwbresearch.wp.worc.ac.uk\/index.php\/2023\/09\/14\/addressing-the-amber-the-importance-of-noticing-and-tackling-low-level-problematic-behaviours\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the Amber: The importance of noticing and tackling low-level problematic behaviours"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Picture the scene \u2013 you\u2019re in the cinema, ready to watch the next instalment of your favourite film franchise. As the opening credits roll, the person behind you starts talking loudly on their phone and kicking the back of your seat. How do you feel? And more specifically, are you bothered by their behaviour? The likelihood of course is that you\u2019re extremely bothered \u2013 they\u2019re disrupting your cinema experience. But what about if they were just whispering on their phone, or if the seat kicking was just an occasional tap? Or maybe they move to be closer to their mate, and now it\u2019s not your seat that\u2019s being kicked anymore, its someone else\u2019s a few seats down. Are you still bothered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why does this matter?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The type of things that we notice and are bothered by affect the way that we respond to the world around us. Berkowitz (2010)<\/a> noted that if we personally find a particular behaviour bothersome, we\u2019re more likely to notice when it happens and take action to address it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deitch-Stackhouse et all (2015)<\/a> explored this link further by investigating exactly how bothered<\/strong> someone must be by something, for them to regularly intervene. They found that there was a significant step up in willingness to intervene when people went from being \u2018moderately bothered\u2019 by a situation to \u2018very bothered\u2019. So essentially, we have to think that something is pretty bad in order for us to consistently notice it and think about intervening. This works reasonably well when behaviours do meet that \u2018bothering\u2019 threshold, such as someone committing assault or stealing another person\u2019s property. These behaviours would be considered problematic to most people, usually generating a response of \u201cthis is not okay and someone should do something\u201d. In a traffic light system, of red, amber and green, these would be considered red behaviours i.e. clearly problematic.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The traffic light analogy is a useful way to consider a range of possible behaviours across a spectrum of how problematic they are. In 2014, Brook<\/a> adapted a traffic light tool from Family Planning Queensland (2012) to reflect the spectrum of behaviours in young people from unacceptable \u2018red\u2019 behaviours such as sexual harassment to more acceptable \u2018green\u2019 behaviours, such as mutually consensual hugging with peers. Essentially green behaviours are considered safe and healthy, while red behaviours are not. But what about the amber behaviours that do not fall neatly into either red or green?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hackett Continuum (2010)<\/a> in Barter & Berridge, 2010 suggests that amber behaviours are those which have the potential to fall outside of safe and healthy behaviours, and can be affected by a range of factors, including context, age, and the vulnerability of those concerned. This can make it much more challenging to notice and correctly identify these behaviours when they happen. They can also generate a lower level of \u2018bother\u2019, resulting in little or no action being taken (remember Deitch-Stackhouse et al.\u2019s finding from earlier that someone needed to be \u2018very bothered\u2019 by something to consistently notice and intervene). There are two options for responding to this challenge from the perspective of preventing problematic behaviour: (1) focus on addressing only the red behaviours and accept that amber behaviours are often going to be overlooked or (2) increase awareness of amber behaviours and encourage a culture where people are more bothered by them, so they are more likely to notice and intervene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The argument for the second option is that red and amber behaviours are not separate entities. They are intrinsically linked, and a healthy culture does not include either type of behaviour, therefore increasing awareness and \u2018bother\u2019 towards amber behaviours is an important part of the prevention of violence and abuse. \u00a0Steven Connell\u2019s powerful spoken work piece \u2018We Are The Lions\u2019<\/a> includes the observation that there is often is a link between the things that we don\u2019t have a problem with, and the things that we do, which speaks to the idea that people can often ignore or \u2018shrug off\u2019 amber behaviours as they are not deemed to be bad enough, failing to recognise that they can contribute to a culture of red behaviours. For example, someone laughing when their friend shares a sexist WhatsApp message may not feel like a big deal \u2013 they may justify it by saying it\u2019s just a joke or that it\u2019s not serious enough to result in any consequences for the sender (e.g. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want my mate to lose out on his placement just for having a laugh\u201d). The question then becomes: where is the line? What would it take for that person to stop brushing it off and meet Deitch-Stackhouse et al.\u2019s threshold of being \u2018very bothered\u2019 – when a specific person was named in the message? When the sexist \u2018jokes\u2019 were made in front of others? When female friends leave a night out early because they feel so uncomfortable by the sexist \u2018banter\u2019? There has to be a line somewhere, and in order to a achieve a culture where problematic behaviour is not tolerated, the noticing and feeling bothered enough to act must<\/strong> start with the amber behaviours rather than waiting for the red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no way to compile an exhaustive of possible amber behaviours as it encompasses so many possibilities, but essentially it is those behaviours which make someone feel uncomfortable, or would make them uncomfortable if it was directed at them or those they cared about. Of course, problematic behaviour should not be acceptable regardless of who it is directed at, but using the \u2018would I feel uncomfortable if it was directed at me\/my friends \u2026?\u2019 strategy can be an effective way to encourage people to notice behaviours that might otherwise be brushed off or go under the radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to respond to amber behaviours<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is to do something \u2013 be an active bystander. There is often a misperception when it comes to bystander intervention that to intervene means to be loud and accusatory \u201cYou are doing something wrong, and I am calling you out on it!<\/em>\u201d However, that is simply not the case. Being prepared to speak up and address amber behaviours simply means doing something<\/strong> when you encounter them. That might be having a conversation with a friend, adding a comment in a WhatsApp group that you don\u2019t think something\u2019s okay, or even noting that you\u2019ll be muting the group for a while. You could also use indirect methods of intervention, such as having a conversation with a tutor, coach, or committee chair to discuss any concerns. You might distract or interrupt a situation to stop it progressing, or just ask the people around you if they also feel uncomfortable with something. Often all it takes is for one person to say they feel uncomfortable, for others to feel able to admit that that they feel the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flood (2011) <\/a>suggested a range of specific actions that could be taken to challenge problematic behaviours, including lower level \u2018amber\u2019 behaviours:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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