The Psychology of Dehumanization

Racism, sexism, homophobia, torture, even genocide. These are some of the horrible things that can happen when a group of people is dehumanized, or thought of as less than human. To disregard another’s humanity is to view them as “other” and often as “less than.” Dehumanization frequently takes place in intergroup contexts but can also happen in the realm of interpersonal relationships. It is possible anywhere where one person seeks to deny another’s humanity.

Below, we’ll look at the historical context of dehumanization, explore the psychological mechanisms behind it, and seek to understand the causes and consequences of dehumanization.

Historical Context

Those with authority or power often seek to oppress those who are not, and they often do this by dehumanizing them. Whether this is on a wide scale—as with the Holocaust—or on a smaller scale, like a prisoner who is beaten in jail, people with power have often sought to dehumanize certain individuals as a way to justify the mistreatment of others.

Brooke Bardin, Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Victory Starts Now explains, “Throughout history, societies and cultures have engaged in this destructive and devastating practice to rationalize abuse and mistreatment to maintain power and control over the ‘out-group’ by creating a narrative they pose a danger to society and the ‘in-group,'” she says.

Bardin adds that “the repetition of negative stereotypes, slurs, and disdain for the victims of dehumanization allows the ‘in-group’ to feel justified in carrying out abuse, oppression, and other mistreatment. Dehumanization is vicious and can lead to trauma seen for many generations, whether in societies and cultures or individuals.”

There are many instances of dehumanization throughout history. Patty Johnson, PsyD at Nia Integrative Health, gives some examples:

• The marginalization of indigenous people in America from their own land
• The treatment of African Americans, including enslavement and, later, disenfranchisement
• The caste system in India, in place until 1948, which was a hierarchy that people in lower social classes could not pull themselves out of

Psychological Mechanisms Involved in Dehumanization

Moral Disengagement

One psychological mechanism for dehumanization is moral disengagement. While most people have standards for moral conduct that prevent them from doing morally dubious things, these standards are not unwavering.

Moral disengagement theory, originated by Albert Bandura, explains that there are psychosocial processes by which people selectively disengage from their own moral code. They can then do immoral things without feeling distress. One of those processes is dehumanization of a particular person or group of people.

Cognitive Processes

Cognitive processes, such as categorization, imagery, and metaphor, are another psychological mechanism involved in dehumanization. “Dehumanization starts with categorizing a group as different, not part of the human species,” explains Bardin.

“Imagery and metaphors are used to reinforce the dehumanized group,” she says. “For example, saying immigrants are insects infesting our country is not literal, but metaphorically evokes strong emotion and fear.”

If these things are repeated enough, an in-group may start seeing an out-group as less than human, and “negative emotions [will] replace our compassion and respect [for the out-group].

 Role of Language and Labels

Language and labels can be used by one human to reduce another and mark them as subhuman. “Calling someone crazy, illegal, hysterical, comparing them to animals, vermin, aliens, parasites, or mocking their intelligence normalizes this view to others over time,” says Bardin.

This is one way that language can be used to stigmatize and make one group seem like they are “less than” another group. 

Causes and Consequences of Dehumanization

Dehumanization is caused by many things from class and gender to differences in views and fear. “A person employs dehumanization as a need to justify negative behavior,” say Johnson. “In one way or another, those who are dehumanized are seen as separate, bad, wrong, less intelligent, less capable, and ultimately, less worthy.”

When people dehumanize others, according to Raquel Martin, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Professor at Tennessee State University, the consequences for the dehumanizer can be the justification of violence against the people they’re dehumanizing and disregard for whole groups, ultimately leading to cruelty, systemic inequality, and oppression.

The consequences for the people who are dehumanized, according to Johnson, are physical and psychological harm. “They are disproportionately accused of crime, have more barriers in access to education, career opportunities, health care, and even in finding peace,” explains Johnson. “Those who are dehumanized are generally under higher stress than those who are not because they are scrutinized by society at every turn.”

Prevention and Reduction Strategies

The key to preventing or reducing dehumanization is reducing our tendency to see others as less than human. “It is vital to reconcile the dissonance between logically knowing a person is a living being and the cognitive process of reducing someone to less than human,” say Johnson. “This becomes possible when experiences challenge the ability to compartmentalize facts from self-justification.”

Bardin concurs, “We need to build connections between groups, develop empathy for one another, and  listen—really listen—to each other to gain an understanding of our differences.”

Martin offers strategies for reducing stereotypes, which she calls the “fuel for dehumanization.”  She explains, “One [strategy] is stereotype replacement which means that you must learn to recognize when you’re responding based on stereotypes and then actively generating non-stereotypical alternatives.

“You can also work on counter-stereotypic imaging which involves focusing on individuals from a particular culture that do not fit the stereotype,” she says. “This helps break down mental associations that fuel dehumanization. This can involve actively recalling people you know or public figures who challenge those stereotypes.

“But the main thing that drives the deterioration of stereotypic thinking, and as a result dehumanization, is purposefully seeking opportunities to engage with people… from different cultures and building meaningful, human connections. This direct contact can challenge harmful narratives and reduce prejudice through personal experience.”

Ethical Considerations

Dehumanization is fundamentally unethical. As a result, doing everything in our power to come out against dehumanization, and trying to stop our own urges to dehumanize others, is vital.

“Dehumanization is the antithesis of any and every ethical principle because it disregards equality, dignity, and respect for human life,” says Martin. “The result of dehumanization is the fostering of cruelty and justification for the violation of… the moral and fair treatment of entire groups of people. Ethics and dehumanization cannot coexist.”

Wrapping Up                    

Many people can fall prey to dehumanization without even realizing it. In order to understand what they’re doing and begin to stop the cycle, we must include information on dehumanization in schools and other institutions. We should also encourage people to think about times they’ve “othered” other individuals and how they can correct that behavior. Together, we can create a world that accepts every person as fully human.