dehumanize

Dehumanization refers to the process of depriving someone of human qualities or treating them as if they are less than human. In psychology, sociology, and media studies, dehumanization describes how individuals or groups are portrayed or perceived in ways that erase human attributes such as individuality, warmth, or moral worth. It can be deliberate or unintentional, and it can target one person or an entire group, based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, or other identities.

Forms include animalistic dehumanization, which likens people to animals or vermin, and mechanistic dehumanization, which portrays them as machines or objects lacking agency or emotion. Both reduce perceived moral status and ease justification for harm. Dehumanization can arise from threat, prejudice, propaganda, group identity dynamics, and moral disengagement, and it can be reinforced by language, imagery, laws, and institutional practices. Historical examples include wartime propaganda that dehumanized opponents and genocidal campaigns that rationalized mass violence; contemporary contexts include political rhetoric, online abuse, and discrimination.

Impact and research: Dehumanization is linked to increased aggression, discrimination, and violations of others’ rights. It undermines empathy and moral consideration, facilitating violence or exclusion. Scholars study it through theoretical models, experimental studies, and content analysis, and have developed measures such as Haslam’s Dehumanization Scale to assess beliefs about others as subhuman. Efforts to counter dehumanization include promoting empathy, recognizing individual humanity, and countering propaganda and demeaning language in media and policy.