Mechanistic Dehumanization Research Articles

Dissociations between animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization in the context of labor exploitation

Across eight studies (and two additional supplemental studies), we investigate possible bidirectional causal links between dehumanization and exploitation (total N = 5923). Participants were less opposed to the exploitation of mechanistically dehumanized workers – i.e., workers perceived to lack traits central to human nature like emotionality and warmth – than other workers (Studies 1–5). The effects of mechanistic dehumanization on exploitation judgments were statistically explained by perceptions that mechanistically dehumanized workers are more capable of enduring experiences that typically elicit suffering and hardship (Studies 2–4). We also found evidence against several other possible explanations for the effects of mechanistic dehumanization on exploitation judgments (i.e., competence, dependability, likeability; Studies 2–4). In addition, we found consistent evidence for the reverse causal pathway: Workers who are exploited – relative to workers who are not exploited – are more likely to be attributed qualities indicative of mechanistic dehumanization (Studies 6–8; Supplemental Studies 1–2). The effects across studies were invariant to job type, the perceived race/ethnicity and gender of the target worker, and the specific case of exploitation. In addition, the relationships between dehumanization and exploitation judgments were specific to the mechanistic form of dehumanization and not the animalistic form – i.e., perceiving others as lacking traits that distinguish humans from animals like self-control, rationality, civility. These bidirectional causal relations between mechanistic dehumanization and exploitation have the potential to create a vicious cycle of suffering and unfair treatment for certain workers.

Asian = machine, Black = animal? The racial asymmetry of dehumanization.

How different racial minorities experience racism differently remains underexplored in existing research. Here, we show that Asian and Black people are often dehumanized differently. Twelve studies spotlight a racial asymmetry in dehumanization using a wide array of methods (experimental, archival, and computational) and data sources (online samples, word embeddings, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data): Whereas Black people are more often subjected to animalistic dehumanization, Asian people are predominantly subjected to mechanistic dehumanization. We demonstrate this asymmetry from the vantage point of victims (Studies 1a and 1b) and perpetrators (Studies 2a-2d). We further document the prevalence of this asymmetry across diverse domains, from everyday language (Study 3) to perceptions in the realms of romantic relationships (Study 4a), crime rates (Study 4b), and business skills (Study 4c). Finally, we demonstrate the asymmetry's real-world consequences in labor market segregation (Studies 5 and 6). Our findings shed light on the distinct experiences of racism encountered by different racial groups and, more critically, introduce a framework that unifies and integrates scattered empirical observations on perceptions of Asian people. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

First impressions: Do faces with scars and palsies influence warmth, competence and humanization?

A glance is enough to assign psychological attributes to others. Attractiveness is associated with positive attributes ('beauty-is-good' stereotype). Here, we raise the question of a similar but negative bias. Are people with facial anomalies associated with negative personal characteristics? We hypothesized that biases against faces with anomalies arise because of negative stereotypes (less warmth and competence) and forms of dehumanization (animalistic and mechanistic). We enrolled 1493 mTurk participants (N = 1306 after exclusion) to assess 31 traits of photographed people using 60 pairs of photographs of the same person before and after plastic surgery. Half anomalous faces had a scar and the other half had a palsy. To calculate warmth and competence, we conducted a principal components analysis of the 31 attributes. Animalistic dehumanization was assessed by averaging reverse-scored ratings corresponding to moral sensibility and rationality/logic, and mechanistic dehumanization by averaging across reverse-scored ratings corresponding to emotional responsiveness and interpersonal warmth. We found that both kinds of anomalous faces were seen as less warm, competent and were dehumanized. Our findings suggest that an 'anomalous-is-bad' stereotype generalizes regardless of the aetiology of the anomaly. This effect may be related to a reverse halo effect, that is, the horn effect.

Watch the tone of your voice! An exploration of dehumanization of women by gender nonconformity based on tone of voice, occupation and appearance.

Dehumanization refers to the act of likening others to objects or animals. This, in turn, mitigates feelings of conscience, guilt, and moral obligation in the face of behaviors such as violence, mistreatment, or discrimination against the dehumanized individuals. The aim of this study is to determine the extent of which women with mismatching vocal tone, occupation and appearance to their gender expectations are dehumanized by others. To achieve this, we conducted a between-groups factorial design experiment. In the experiment, participants looked at the photo and listened to the voice of a target woman with either a gender congruent or incongruent vocal tone, occupation, or appearance. Participants indicated the extent to which human attributes were appropriate for this individual. The results revealed that the main effects of vocal tone and occupation were significant for both mechanistic and animalistic dehumanization. A target woman with a mismatched vocal tone and occupation was more dehumanized compared to those with a matched vocal tone and occupation. However, the interaction effect of vocal tone, occupation type, and appearance was found to be significant only for mechanistic dehumanization. Our study provides evidence to recent concerns that women may experience dehumanization due to their vocal tone and occupation.

Dehumanization in intensive care units and standard wards: A survey for a comparative cross-sectional study

ObjectivesDehumanization refers to the practice of treating patients as objects rather than individuals with dignity and respect. MethodsThis study explores dehumanization in healthcare, specifically mechanistic dehumanization and self-dehumanization, which can result in poor care and negative outcomes. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a dehumanization questionnaire given to 324 nurses in various departments. The study took place at ANONYMIZED, from September to November 2022. The questionnaire analyzed emotions like anger, impatience, and apathy, identified as key dehumanizing factors. ResultsResults indicated that these emotions were prevalent in nurses' perceptions of patients. Interestingly, while Intensive Care nurses often involved families in patient care, leading to higher satisfaction, ward department nurses sometimes viewed patient or family relationships as obstacles. Despite this, 66 % of nurses reported satisfaction with the care provided, while 12 % were indifferent. ConclusionsThe study concludes that the root of dehumanization lies in nurses' inability to feel emotions, the impersonality of care, and the sterility of assistance, leading to self-dehumanization. To combat this, the study suggests strengthening nursing autonomy and education and fostering a positive work environment. The way nurses perceive themselves directly impacts their treatment of patients.

Objects Do Not Suffer: An Impact of Mechanistic Dehumanization on Perceptions of Women's Suffering and Lack of Justice in Domestic Assault.

Women constitute an overwhelming majority of those who experience domestic violence; furthermore, the vast majority of perpetrators of domestic violence go unsentenced. The objectification of women innately implies the denial of humanness, and dehumanization is known to play a role in willingness to engage in and acceptance of interpersonal harm. Yet, important questions remain. The current study examines the type of humanness objectified women are being denied, and how that denial implicates perceptions surrounding domestic assault. We predict that associating women with objects, and not animals, may be uniquely implicated in the lack of consequences for perpetrators-for objects cannot feel pain. In the current study (N = 319), we manipulated the presentation of a woman as sexualized or not and purported that she had been involved in a domestic violence incident. We found that when the target woman was sexualized (and thus objectified), participants associated her with an inert, non-human object (i.e., mechanistically dehumanized her) more than when she was not sexually objectified, but we found no effect of sexualization on animalistic dehumanization. Furthermore, mechanistic dehumanization mediated decreases in perceptions of the sexually objectified woman's suffering as a result of the domestic violence, which decreased the severity of the punishment participants recommended for the perpetrator, while also, increasing victim, and decreasing perpetrator, blame. We discuss critical considerations of the role of dehumanization in domestic violence directed toward women and the lack of consequences for perpetrators of these crimes.

When dehumanization does (and does not) matter: Exploring the relationship between social justice motivations, avoidant behaviors, and intentions to help individuals experiencing homelessness

AbstractHighly stigmatized groups, such as those experiencing homelessness, commonly encounter both animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization. Yet, how and when each form is related to the treatment of such groups is not well understood. We explored the relative importance of animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization in predicting behaviors to avoid and willingness to help individuals experiencing homelessness. Additionally, we probed social justice importance and engagement as potential moderators of the relationship between dehumanization and behavior. Study 1 demonstrated that animalistic dehumanization was a more significant predictor of avoidant behaviors than mechanistic dehumanization. Notably, social justice motivations moderated this relationship such that when individuals were low in social justice motivations, avoidance was high irrespective of dehumanizing attitudes. Study 2 aimed to replicate these findings in a more general sample with attention to a new outcome variable—intentions to help individuals experiencing homelessness. Results again demonstrated that animalistic dehumanization was a stronger predictor of behavior than mechanistic dehumanization. Unlike Study 1, social justice motivations did not moderate the relationship between dehumanization and intentions to help. Rather, social justice importance was a stronger predictor of variance in willingness to help than dehumanizing attitudes. Together, our findings suggest that the personal importance of social justice issues may be just as vital as reducing negative attitudes to increase positive engagement with individuals experiencing homelessness and potentially others who belong to similarly dehumanized groups.

A Functional and Neuroanatomical Model of Dehumanization.

The dehumanization of others is a major scourge of mankind; however, despite its significance, physicians have little understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms for this behavior. We can learn much about dehumanization from its brain-behavior localization and its manifestations in people with brain disorders. Dehumanization as an act of denying to others human qualities includes two major forms. Animalistic dehumanization (also called infrahumanization) results from increased inhibition of prepotent tendencies for emotional feelings and empathy for others. The mechanism may be increased activity in the inferior frontal gyrus. In contrast, mechanistic dehumanization results from a loss of perception of basic human nature and decreased mind-attribution. The mechanism may be hypofunction of a mentalization network centered in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and adjacent subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Whereas developmental factors may promote animalistic dehumanization, brain disorders, such as frontotemporal dementia, primarily promote mechanistic dehumanization. The consideration of these two processes as distinct, with different neurobiological origins, could help guide efforts to mitigate expression of this behavior.

A Brain Mechanism for Hate.

A Brain Mechanism for Hate.

Examining the consequences of dehumanization and adultification in justification of police use of force against Black girls and boys.

Given the greater contact that Black youth have with the legal system compared with White youth, it is important to consider the differential ways that police use of force against these youth is perceived. Black youth may be at greater risk than White youth for animalistic (being seen as animal-like) and mechanistic (being seen as object-like) dehumanization, which, along with a tendency for Black youth to be perceived as older (adultification), may impact observers' perceptions of police use of force toward Black youth. This study examined whether dehumanization and adultification were associated with the perceptions of force used and harm caused by police. We made five hypotheses. First, participants would dehumanize Black individuals more than White individuals, more mechanistically dehumanize Black women than Black men, and more animalistically dehumanize Black men than Black women. Second, dehumanization would be positively associated with adultification. Third, force would be rated as less appropriate and more excessive for White than for Black targets, particularly for males. Fourth, dehumanization, particularly animalistic dehumanization, would be associated with higher participant ratings of force justification and lower participant ratings of force severity and excessiveness. Fifth, participants would perceive girls as more harmed than boys and White individuals as more harmed than Black individuals. After completing an implicit dehumanization measure, participants viewed an image (varied on age and gender) of a juvenile, estimated the juvenile's age, and read a vignette in which the juvenile had an altercation with police. Participants rated the amount, severity, and justification of the force used by the officer as well as the physical and emotional harm caused to the juvenile. We found that Black targets were dehumanized more than White targets. Adultification, unrelated to implicit dehumanization, predicted perceiving police use of force against juveniles as more justified and less severe. Black girls were most likely to experience adultification; participants generally perceived them as less victimized than Black boys and White girls. Adultification is associated with fewer protections for youth. Those with particular intersectional identities, such as Black girls, may be uniquely vulnerable to harm caused by police victimization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Dehumanization in Attack On Titan

Manga is a Japanese comic that has its own genres, one of the most famous is shōnen. Attack on Titan is one of the most popular shōnen manga in the world, with a science fiction theme. Through this study, we want to analyze the dehumanization in the manga series by Hajime Isayama. We want to find out what forms of dehumanization occur and the reasons why the dehumanization happens to the victims, the Eldians. We use the theory of animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization to identify the forms of dehumanization in the manga. In addition, we also use the theory that state power increases dehumanization to find out the reasons that dehumanization happens. Based on our analysis results, victims treated like animals do not have human rights, are considered low class, and get persecuted. Victims treated like objects are considered "tools" to achieve goals, something that can be exchanged or destroyed, and ignores the victim's feelings. Meanwhile, the Eldians get dehumanized because they feel powerless and are considered a potential threat by the dehumanizers. It shows that dehumanization is a negative phenomenon that occurs due to differences.

Attitudes toward older people among nursing students in Greece.

The age profile of the population has shifted globally. Age discrimination has been documented, particularly in the areas of health and employment. This study aims at examining nursing students' attitudes toward older people and dehumanization of older people among nursing students. A cross-sectional design was employed in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which included a sociodemographic variables questionnaire, the Kogan's Attitude towards Old People Scale (KAOP) scale, a modified version of the Human Nature & Human Uniqueness Scale, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire. A total of 410 undergraduate nursing students participated in this study. Descriptive statistics were applied while inferential statistics such as Pearson correlation, and regression analysis with the stepwise method were also performed. The significant level was set as p ≤ .05. SPSS-25 was used for the analysis of data. The total mean score of the KAOP scale was 128.84 ± 14.32, indicating that nursing students had a slightly positive view of older individuals. Nursing students scored higher on the mechanistic dehumanization scale than on the animalistic dehumanization one. A strong negative association was found between Mechanistic and Animalistic dehumanization with the KAOP scale and empathy. Year of study, age, and gender were identified as predictor variables for mechanical dehumanization. Personality traits, demographic variables, and nursing students' level of empathy are factors that influence their views about older people and the dehumanization of older people.

Warmth, competence, and subtle dehumanization: Comparing clustering patterns of warmth and competence with animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization.

The way in which people dehumanize may vary based on perceptions of social outgroups. This study explores how outgroups may be more animalistically or mechanistically dehumanized based on perceived stereotype content. This work compares competing theoretical perspectives regarding the relationship between the dual model of dehumanization with dimensions of warmth and competence. We predicted that participants would dehumanize high warmth, low competence outgroups more animalistically, and dehumanize low warmth, high competence outgroups more mechanistically. Results instead supported the stereotype content view of dehumanization, such that graded dehumanization occurred with the removal of warmth and competence. This work helps to clarify previous research and provides insight into way in which people evaluate outgroup stereotype content and the dehumanization of such outgroups. Implications and limitations of the work are discussed.

The Passive Antihero in Alameddine’s I, the Divine and an Unnecessary Woman

This article focuses on the gradual transformation of the female protagonist into a passive antihero figure in Rabih Alameddine’s I, the Divine (2001) and An Unnecessary Woman (2013). It assesses the traumatic experiences of war and patriarchy that have triggered each transformation. The regression of the two protagonists, namely Sarah in I, the Divine and Aaliya in An Unnecessary Woman is thoroughly scrutinized in relation to the traumatic events of war and the oppressive patriarchal mores that these female protagonists encounter and experience. Sarah and Aaliya exhibit some typical features of a passive postmodern antihero such as acceptance, submission, lack of action, alienation, mechanistic dehumanization and estrangement. The absurdity of their lives is manifested in their acceptance of the absence of free will. All these features make of them prototypical passive, estranged and dehumanized antiheroes. The analysis of the female antiheroes in this research relies on the theoretical framework of feminist psychic trauma in order to relate the traumatic turmoil of the female characters to patriarchy and war following Laura Brown’s article “Not Outside the Range: One Feminist Perspective on Psychic Trauma” (1995). In other words, this article examines mainly the external factors that engendered the two protagonists’ transformation into passive antiheroes. The analysis endeavors to highlight that the protagonists follow the passive model, one of the prototypes of the antiheroic archetype.

Factors in workers' dehumanization: Multiple stigmatization, social status, and workers' sex.

The aim of this study is to examine how different factors (multiple stigmatization, perceived social status, and workers' sex) as well as their interactions are associated with the dehumanization of workers. In the preliminary study (N=991), we selected 16 occupations with different types of stigmatization and perceived status relevant to the Russian socio-cultural context. In two experimental studies (N1=1060, N2=1081), we demonstrated that multiple stigmatization increases metaphor-based and attribute-based animalistic but not mechanistic dehumanization: low-status workers were more animalistically dehumanized than high-status workers; the high status decreased the metaphor-based animalistic dehumanization of occupations with multiple stigmatization, and the attribute-based animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization of workers regardless of their stigmatization; and male workers were more mechanistically dehumanized than female ones but there were no differences in animalistic dehumanization. The results obtained are discussed in the context of understanding the specificity of workers' dehumanization and the possible consequences of this dehumanization.

Study of the Association of Insecure Attachment With the Dehumanization and Self-Dehumanization of Patients Hospitalized With Psychotic Disorder and Organic Disease.

IntroductionDehumanization is the phenomenon that concerns the non-attribution of humanness to other human beings and has two dimensions, animalistic and mechanistic. The aim of the present study is to study dehumanization and self-dehumanization in patients with psychosis and organic disease.MethodsThe sample consisted of 200 people who were hospitalized in Athens, Greece, in 2017. Participants were asked to answer the dehumanization questionnaire, the mechanistic self-dehumanization scale, the human nature and human uniqueness characteristics questionnaire, and the adult attachment questionnaire. ResultsIt was found that patients with organic disease and patients with psychosis do not perform mechanistic and animalistic dehumanization of themselves. Still, it seems that insecure attachment (anxiety and obsession) contributes positively to their mechanistic dehumanization and negatively to their mechanistic self-dehumanization. From the insecure attachment, only the dimensions of stress and obsession affect the mechanistic dehumanization. ConclusionsIt is important to take measures to train specialists in the hospital so that they can establish a safe therapeutic relationship with the patient so that patients will not resort to dehumanization and self-dehumanization as a defense against the stress of hospitalization.

Dehumanization of Hospitalized Patients and Self-Dehumanization by Health Professionals and the General Population in Greece.

IntroductionDehumanization is defined as the denial to people of their humanness. It is distinguished into animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization. The aim of this study is to examine whether professionals in a public hospital dehumanize the patient and self-dehumanize.MethodsWe used the Dehumanization Questionnaire, the Mechanistic Self-Dehumanization Scale, the Human Nature and Human Uniqueness Characteristics Questionnaire, the General Causality Orientation Scale and the Adult Attachment Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 135 mental health professionals (20 from a general hospital and 115 from a psychiatric hospital), 134 other health professionals from the general hospital and 84 people from the general population.Results Health professionals dehumanize the hospitalized patient more than the general population. The secure attachment acts protectively on self-dehumanization and negatively on the dehumanization of the hospitalized patient. Finally, autonomous people are not self-dehumanized.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that measures should be taken for health professionals so that they do not dehumanize the patient.

Pornography Use, Two Forms of Dehumanization, and Sexual Aggression: Attitudes vs. Behaviors

Sexual objectification is a common pornographic theme. Research shows that sexual objectification leads to the expression of aggressive attitudes and behaviors toward women. Based on a survey study of 320 male participants, this study re-conceptualizes sexual objectification in terms of two forms of dehumanization. Evidence suggests men’s pornography use is positively associated with both forms, but mechanistic dehumanization of women is more associated with aggressive attitudes while animalistic dehumanization is more associated with aggressive behaviors. Findings indicate how objectifying pornography use may relate to aggressive attitudes and behaviors and inform the future education campaigns and interventions to reduce sexual aggression.

Classism in pain assessment and management: the mediating role of female patient dehumanization and perceived life hardship.

Compared with racism and sexism, classism in pain assessment and management practices (PAMPs) has been less investigated, and its mediating mechanisms are still unknown. Drawing on a social psychological model of dehumanization, this research aimed to test (1) the effect of patient socioeconomic status (SES; a proxy of social class) on PAMPs and (2) whether patient dehumanization and perceived life hardship mediated these effects. Two online experimental studies were conducted, in which patient SES was manipulated (low vs high) within-subjects. One-hundred sixty-two female medical students (study 1) and 105 female nurses (study 2) were presented with vignettes/images depicting 2 cases of women with chronic low-back pain, followed by videos of them performing a pain-inducing movement. Participants reported on patient dehumanization, perceived life hardship, and PAMPs. The low SES patient was perceived as less pain sensitive (medical students alone) but more disabled, credible, and her pain more attributed to psychological causes (by nurses alone). Medical students recommended less nonpharmacological treatments but prescribed slightly stronger medication. Medical students were less willing to provide individualized care to the low SES patient, whereas nurses showed the opposite pattern. Patient mechanistic dehumanization mediated SES effects on pain disability (medical students alone). Perceived life hardship mediated SES effects on pain disability, credibility (nurses alone), and intentions of providing individualized care (nurses alone). These finding bear novel contributions to the fields of pain, health service research, and social psychology and have important implications to the development of more effective future interventions to reduce classism in PAMPs.

Fantasy sports participation and the (de)humanization of professional athletes

The dehumanization of professional athletes by sports fans has become a talking point for mainstream media, and fantasy sports participation is in the crosshairs. The social competition and romanticized ownership of the game spur strategy where participants theoretically utilize professional athletes in a mechanistic fashion, and as a result, may dehumanize them in the process. Previous work studying dehumanization in gaming has found outcomes related to moral disengagement and isolation. Recent research, however, found fantasy football participants actually humanize their own fantasy athletes over non-fantasy athletes. The current study looked to confirm the previous work and extend it to the context of fantasy baseball. Two samples of fantasy participants (football and baseball) were tested from a mechanistic dehumanization perspective. The results provide an opportunity for broadcasters, developers, teams, leagues, and even athletes to capitalize on the unique relationship between fantasy participants and professional athletes.