Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Modern Moral Psychology
- Part I Building Blocks
- Part II Thinking and Feeling
- Part III Behavior
- 12 Prosociality
- 13 Antisocial and Moral Behavior
- 14 Intergroup Conflict and Dehumanization
- 15 Blame and Punishment
- 16 Moral Communication
- Part IV Origins, Development, and Variation
- Part V Applications and Extensions
- Index
- References
14 - Intergroup Conflict and Dehumanization
from Part III - Behavior
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 February 2025
By
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- 1 Modern Moral Psychology
- Part I Building Blocks
- Part II Thinking and Feeling
- Part III Behavior
- 12 Prosociality
- 13 Antisocial and Moral Behavior
- 14 Intergroup Conflict and Dehumanization
- 15 Blame and Punishment
- 16 Moral Communication
- Part IV Origins, Development, and Variation
- Part V Applications and Extensions
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter of the handbook introduces dehumanization as another dark side of humanity. Humanness is a central concept in moral psychology, and whereas people normally treat other humans with moral consideration, they may turn to dehumanize others as a result of moral disengagement and moral exclusion. The author reviews recent psychological accounts of dehumanization that are grounded in empirical research and highlights the diverse forms it takes: dehumanization varies from subtle to blatant, from interpersonal to intergroup, and from simple to complex. In these theoretical accounts, dehumanizing a person or group means ascribing less of certain human attributes to the target – both attributes that distinguish humans from other animals and attributes that distinguish humans from inanimate agents. Within this general framework, the author reviews the empirical literature on how dehumanization may function to prime, facilitate, and justify harm during intergroup conflict. He also considers a number of critiques and debates over these ideas and findings that have recently surfaced.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Moral Psychology , pp. 331 - 353Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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