Cited by 376Social and Intergroup PsychologyDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionPsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 78 of the 79 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

They see us as less than human: Metadehumanization predicts intergroup conflict via reciprocal dehumanization.

Open access

Kteily, Nour, Hodson, Gordon, Bruneau, Emile·2016·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

DOI 10.1037/pspa0000044

Open this paper in CoChat — free account Open PDF

Abstract

Although the act of dehumanizing an outgroup is a pervasive and potent intergroup process that drives discrimination and conflict, no formal research has examined the consequences of being dehumanized by an outgroup-that is, "metadehumanization." Across 10 studies (N = 3,440) involving several real-world conflicts spanning 3 continents, we provide the first empirical evidence that metadehumanization (a) plays a central role in outgroup aggression that is (b) mediated by outgroup dehumanization, and (c) distinct from metaprejudice. Studies 1a and 1b demonstrate experimentally that Americans who learn that Arabs (Study 1a) or Muslims (Study 1b) blatantly dehumanize Americans are more likely to dehumanize that outgroup in return; by contrast, experimentally increasing outgroup dehumanization did not increase metadehumanization (Study 1c). Using correlational data, Study 2 documents indirect effects of metadehumanization on Americans' support for aggressive policies toward Arabs (e.g., torture) via Arab dehumanization. In the context of Hungarians and ethnic minority Roma, Study 3 shows that the pathway for Hungarians from metadehumanization to aggression through outgroup dehumanization holds controlling for outgroup prejudice. Study 4 examines Israelis' metaperceptions with respect to Palestinians, showing that: (a) feeling dehumanized (i.e., metadehumanization) is distinct from feeling disliked (i.e., metaprejudice), and (b) metadehumanization uniquely influences aggression through outgroup dehumanization, controlling for metaprejudice. Studies 5a and 5b explore Americans' metaperceptions regarding ISIS and Iran. We document a dehumanization-specific pathway from metadehumanization to aggressive attitudes and behavior that is distinct from the path from metaprejudice through prejudice to aggression. In Study 6, American participants learning that Muslims humanize Americans (i.e., metahumanization) humanize Muslims in turn. Finally, Study 7 experimentally contrasts metadehumanization and metahumanization primes, and shows that resulting differences in outgroup dehumanization are mediated by (a) perceived identity threat, and (b) a general desire to reciprocate the outgroup's perceptions of the ingroup. In summary, our research outlines how and why metadehumanization contributes to cycles of ongoing violence and animosity, providing direction for future research and policy. (PsycINFO Database Record

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1037/pspa0000044

Cites

78 of 79 references verified0 citation errors · 1 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Untitled work
(2013) · Cited by 44,563
An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (2000) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780199269464.003.0005 · Cited by 12,680
Amazon's Mechanical Turk: A New Source of Inexpensive, Yet High-Quality, Data?
Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. D. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691610393980 · Cited by 9,996
Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes.
Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. (1994) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.4.741 · Cited by 4,872
The Psychology of Prejudice: Ingroup Love and Outgroup Hate?
Brewer, M. B. (1999) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/0022-4537.00126 · Cited by 3,494
Dehumanization: An integrative review
Haslam, N. (2006) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr1003_4 · Cited by 2,919 · cited 6×
“…inmates as numbers, and sick individuals as “patients” may involve attributing them fewer traits unique to humans and central to our nature, reflecting a subtle denial of what it means to be fully human (e.g., Haslam, 2006; Waytz, Schroeder, & Epley, 2014; see also Bain, Vaes, & Leyens, 2014).”
BackgroundResultInfluential
A Decade of System Justification Theory: Accumulated Evidence of Conscious and Unconscious Bolstering of the Status Quo
Jost, J. T., Banaji, M. R., & Nosek, B. A. (2004) · Political Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9221.2004.00402.x · Cited by 2,883
Toward an integrative social identity model of collective action: A quantitative research synthesis of three socio-psychological perspectives.
van Zomeren, M., Postmes, T., & Spears, R. (2008) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.4.504 · Cited by 2,714
Mechanisms of moral disengagement in the exercise of moral agency
Bandura, A., Barbaranelli, C., Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1996) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.71.2.364 · Cited by 2,680
Perceiving pervasive discrimination among African Americans: Implications for group identification and well-being.
Branscombe, N. R., Schmitt, M. T., & Harvey, R. D. (1999) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.77.1.135 · Cited by 2,623

Flagged first, then by citations

Show all 75 references

Research works printed but not linked: 4

Bruneau, E., Jacoby, N., Kteily, N., Ligouri, L., & Saxe, R. (under review). Denying humanity: Denying humanity: The distinct neural correlates of blatant dehumanization. Manuscript submitted for publication.
Enyedi Zs., Erős F. & Fábián Z. (2001). Tekintélyelvűség és előítélet: Újabb magyarországi vizsgálatok. In Hunyadi Gy. & Nguyen Luu Lan Anh (Eds.) Sztereotípia-kutatás. Hagyományok és irányok (391-402). Budapest: Eötvös Kiadó.
Ho, A.K., Sidanius, J., Kteily, N., Sheehy-Skeffington, J., Pratto, F., Henkel, K., Foels, R., & Stewart, A. (in press). The Nature of Social Dominance Orientation: Introducing the Social Dominance Orientation-7 Scale. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Miranda, M., Gourveia-Pereira, M., & Vaes, J. (2014). When in Rome…Identification and acculturation strategies among minority members moderate the dehumanization of the majority outgroup. European Journal of Social Psychology, 44 (4), 327-336.

Sorted by citations

Items 101–200 of 376

Focusing on the self to humanize others: the role of empathy and morality
Scatolon, A., Sharvit, K., Huici, C., Álamo-Hernández, A., Glazer, G., Lorenzo, E., & Michna, M. (2023) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101264 · Cited by 20
Ameliorating War’s Shadows: The Role of War-related Memories and Meta-humanization on Intergroup Reconciliation
Borinca, I., Stathi, S., & Gkinopoulos, T. (2025) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672251338559 · Cited by 22
“We tested this sequential mediation model because previous research suggests that perceived dehumanization relates to both past experiences of violence and intergroup attitudes (Borinca, Van Assche, et al., 2024; Kteily et al., 2016).”
Influential
Investigating antecedents of Islamophobia: The role of perceived control over terrorism, threat, meta‐dehumanization , and dehumanization
Pavetich, M., & Stathi, S. (2021) · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/casp.2512 · Cited by 20
Dehumanizing disability: Evidence for subtle and blatant dehumanization of people with physical disabilities
Sitruk, J., Summers, K. M., & Lloyd, E. P. (2023) · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100162 · Cited by 20
Advantaged groups misperceive how allyship will be received
Birnbaum, H. J., Wilson, D., & Waytz, A. G. (2024) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2024.104309 · Cited by 22
Felt understanding in intergroup relations
Livingstone, A. (2023) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101587 · Cited by 27
Toward a psychology of attitude conflict
Minson, J. A., & Dorison, C. A. (2021) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.07.002 · Cited by 24
Dehumanization of outgroup members and cross-group interactions
Borinca, I., Assche, J. V., Gronfeldt, B., Sainz, M., Anderson, J., & Taşbaş, E. H. O. (2023) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101247 · Cited by 18
“…more similar to apes than humans) are more likely to portray them in threatening terms, withhold sympathy from them, and support actions designed to harm them [8,9], and can also expect to be dehuma-nized themselves by the outgroup simultaneously — a process known as meta-dehumanization [8,10,14].”
Kill or be killed: Can correcting misperceptions of out‐group hostility de‐escalate a violent inter‐group out‐break?
Nir, N., Nassir, Y., Hasson, Y., & Halperin, E. (2023) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2949 · Cited by 18
“In a study conducted by Kteily et al. (2016), Americans receiving information that Arabs or Muslims blatantly dehumanize Americans were more supportive of aggressive policies towards Arabs and Muslims.”
The general fault in our fault linesPreprint
Ruggeri, K., Većkalov, B., Bojanić, L., Andersen, T. L., Ashcroft-Jones, S., Ayacaxli, N., Barea-Arroyo, P., Berge, M. L., Bjørndal, L. D., Bursalıoğlu, A., et al. (2020) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/xvksa · Cited by 18
Generalized Hate: Bias Victimization against Non-Asian Racial/Ethnic Minorities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Wenger, M. R., & Lantz, B. (2021) · Victims & Offenders · doi:10.1080/15564886.2021.1974136 · Cited by 17
“Other research has demonstrated that such circumstances can also serve to undermine empathy and facilitate dehumanization (Cikara et al., 2011; Han, 2018; Kteily et al., 2016).”
Background
A Cross-Cultural Examination of Blatant and Subtle Dehumanization of Autistic People
Kim, S. Y., Cheon, J. E., & Kim, Y.-H. (2024) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-023-06217-x · Cited by 21
“…between stigma and blatant animal-like dehumanization of minority race individuals or those with mental illness (Krzyzanowski et al., 2019; Kteily et al., 2015, 2016; Martinez et al., 2011), blatant animal-like dehumanization was associated with stigma toward autistic individuals in both…”
Hate, dehumanization, and “hate”.
Haslam, N., & Murphy, S. (2020) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/0000180-002 · Cited by 13
Dehumanization in War and Peace: Encounters with Lebanon's Ex‐Militia Fighters
Hermez, S. (2019) · American Anthropologist · doi:10.1111/aman.13271 · Cited by 16
Smartphone's on, humanness's off: Phubbing breeds dehumanization via subjectivity uncertainty
Yin, L., Feng, J., Hou, W., Wang, P., & Yin, Y. (2024) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2024.108378 · Cited by 18
Examining the role of majority group attitudes and bicultural identity integration on bicultural students’ behavioral responses toward White Americans.
Huff, S. T., Saleem, M., & Rivas‐Drake, D. (2019) · Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology · doi:10.1037/cdp0000284 · Cited by 16
Dehumanization of African-Americans Influences Racial Shooter Biases
Mekawi, Y., Bresin, K., & Hunter, C. D. (2019) · Race and Social Problems · doi:10.1007/s12552-019-09267-y · Cited by 17
Approaching dehumanizing interactions: Joint consideration of other-, meta-, and self-dehumanization
Bustillos, A., Demoulin, S., López‐Rodríguez, L., Vázquez, A., & Zlobina, A. (2022) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101233 · Cited by 16
“For instance, the original set of studies by Kteily and colleagues [2] has shown that meta-dehumanization positively correlates with outgroup dehumanization, leading to a process of reciprocal dehumanization.”
BackgroundInfluential
Sex‐based and beauty‐based objectification: Metadehumanization and emotional consequences among victims
Chevallereau, T., Maurage, P., Stinglhamber, F., & Demoulin, S. (2021) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12446 · Cited by 17
The socio-psychological predictors of support for post-truth collective action
Mashuri, A., Putra, I. E., Kavanagh, C. M., Zaduqisti, E., Sukmawati, F., Sakdiah, H., & Selviana, S. (2021) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2021.1935678 · Cited by 16
“Previous research has also revealed that the more ingroup members are prejudiced against a particular outgroup, the more likely it is that the first group is willing to undertake collective action against the latter outgroup (Kteily et al., 2016; Shepherd et al., 2018).”
Background
My Physical Appearance at the Center of Others’ Concerns: What are the Consequences for Women’s Metadehumanization and Emotions?
Chevallereau, T., Stinglhamber, F., Maurage, P., & Demoulin, S. (2021) · Psychologica Belgica · doi:10.5334/pb.558 · Cited by 15
Empathy and Concern with Negative Evaluation in Intergroup Relations
Vorauer, J. D. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108614924 · Cited by 14
Organizational metadehumanization and mechanistic self-dehumanization: The role of surface acting
Nguyen, N., Maurage, P., & Stinglhamber, F. (2022) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302221095757 · Cited by 15
“For instance, metadehumanization has been applied to ethnic groups (e.g., Bruneau et al., 2020; Kteily et al., 2016), low socioeconomic status groups (e.”
Background
Am I being dehumanized? Development and validation of the experience of dehumanization measurement
Golossenko, A., Palumbo, H., Mathai, M., & Tran, H. (2023) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12633 · Cited by 14
“Following previous studies (Kteily et al., 2016; Kteily & Bruneau, 2017), we argue that believing others think of one as less than fully human is integral to the sense of being dehumanized.”
Influential
The Cycle of Intergroup Conflict
Reiß, S., & Jonas, E. (2019) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811844-3.00019-6 · Cited by 15
Cognitive and neural bases of decision-making causing civilian casualties during intergroup conflict
Han, X., Zhou, S., Fahoum, N., Wu, T., Gao, T., Shamay‐Tsoory, S., Gelfand, M. J., Wu, X., & Han, S. (2021) · Nature Human Behaviour · doi:10.1038/s41562-021-01064-1 · Cited by 14
The Subversion Dilemma: Why Voters Who Cherish Democracy Participate in Democratic BackslidingPreprint
Braley, A., Lenz, G., Adjodah, D., Rahnama, H., & Pentland, A. (2021) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/my987 · Cited by 14
Psychological Barriers to Resolving Intergroup Conflict: An Extensive Review and Consolidation of the Literature
Friend, W., & Malhotra, D. K. (2019) · Negotiation Journal · doi:10.1111/nejo.12299 · Cited by 14
Cognitive Impact of Anthropomorphized Robot Gaze
Spatola, N., & Huguet, P. (2021) · ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction · doi:10.1145/3459994 · Cited by 13
“robot group) [33, 80] and is central to explain human social interactions with other humans [53, 55, 56] or with robots [54, 81].”
Background
The way they look: Phenotypic prototypicality shapes the perceived intergroup attitudes of in- and out-group members
Kunst, J. R., Dovidio, J. F., Bailey, A. H., & Obaidi, M. (2022) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2022.104303 · Cited by 13
Harnessing dehumanization theory, modern media, and an intervention tournament to reduce support for retributive war crimes
Landry, A., Fincher, K. M., Barr, N., Brosowsky, N. P., Protzko, J., Dan Ariely, C., & Seli, P. (2023) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2023.104567 · Cited by 14
‘They deserve it for what they're doing’: dehumanising rhetoric as a facilitator of the recourse to violence against the defenceless
Fischer, V., & O’Mara, S. M. (2023) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101280 · Cited by 13
“This, in turn, may lead to a decreased sensitivity to their suffering and inhumane treatment [31], and might thereby facilitate acts of aggression and violence [22,28,29,32].”
BackgroundInfluential
Understanding the supporters and opponents of Myanmar's civil disobedience movement against the military coup in 2021
Putra, I. E., & Shadiqi, M. A. (2022) · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/casp.2645 · Cited by 11
Meta‐identification: Perceptions of others’ group identification shape group life
Steffens, N. K., Greenaway, K. H., Moore, S., Munt, K. A., Grundmann, F., Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., Postmes, T., Skorich, D. P., & Tatachari, S. (2023) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.3014 · Cited by 14
“…Wellman, 1992), transactive memory (beliefs about other people’s knowledge; Wegner, 1987), meta-dehumanisation (beliefs about other people’s dehuman-isation of one’s group; Kteily et al., 2016) and meta-stereotypes (beliefs about other people’s stereotypes about one’s group; Vorauer et al., 1998).”
Background
Cumulative Dehumanization in Everyday Policing: The Psychological, Affective, and Material Consequences of Discretionary Arrests
Bustamante, P., Jashnani, G., & Stoudt, B. G. (2019) · Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy · doi:10.1111/asap.12187 · Cited by 13
Integrating Dehumanization and Attachment in the Prediction of Teen Dating Violence Perpetration
Morera, M. D., Quiles, M. N., & González-Méndez, R. (2020) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/0886260520933042 · Cited by 16
“In this regard, future research could examine the links between the factors analyzed in this study and the concept of meta-dehumanization (Kteily et al., 2016).”
Background
The role of agency and communion in dehumanization — an integrative perspective
Formanowicz, M., Bulska, D., & Shnabel, N. (2022) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101236 · Cited by 12
You get us, so you like us: Feeling understood by an outgroup predicts more positive intergroup relations via perceived positive regard.
Livingstone, A., Bedford, S. L., Afyouni, A., Vu, N., Kapantai, I., Makanju, D., Chayinska, M., González, R., Carozzi, P. J., Contreras, C., et al. (2023) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/pspi0000434 · Cited by 14
Imagined otherness fuels blatant dehumanization of outgroups
van Loon, A., Goldberg, A., & Srivastava, S. B. (2024) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-024-00087-4 · Cited by 20
“Even when it does not lead to violent action, dehumanization can still fuel such negative outcomes as the stigmatization of people with mental illness 12 , expressions of hostile emotions toward outgroup members 13 , and the support of exclusionary immigration policies 14 .”
So different yet so alike? Political collective narcissism predicts blatant dehumanization of political outgroups among conservatives and liberals
Marchlewska, M., Górska, P., Podsiadłowski, W., Rogoza, M., & Szczepańska, D. (2024) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12803 · Cited by 11
From conspiracies to insurgence: understanding the path from conspiracy beliefs to political engagement through the 3N model of radicalization
Cicco, G. D., Molinario, E., Contu, F., Pierro, A., Douglas, K. M., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2025) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-025-07710-5 · Cited by 12
“First, by portraying the oppressors as less deserving of empathy or moral consideration (i.e., dehumanization, Kteily & Bruneau, 2017; Kteily et al., 2016), conspiracy theories implicitly promote the idea that violence is a justified means to neutralize the perceived threat.”
Effect of Anthropomorphizing Food Animals on Intentions to Eat Meat
Johnson, C., Schreer, G. E., & Bao, K. J. (2021) · Anthrozoös · doi:10.1080/08927936.2021.1914442 · Cited by 11
“Perceiving the out-group as less than human facilitates aggression and discrimination against the members of that group (Kteily et al., 2015, 2016).”
Background
What Shapes Public Support for Torture, and Among Whom?
Hatz, S. (2021) · Human Rights Quarterly · doi:10.1353/hrq.2021.0055 · Cited by 11
The collective praise intervention: A brief intervention highlighting prosocial behavior reduces hostility towards Muslims
Gallardo, R. A., Hameiri, B., Moore‐Berg, S. L., & Bruneau, E. (2021) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302211021665 · Cited by 11
“…that consistently reduces dehumanization of Muslims is of the utmost value, as dehumanization predicts the most detrimental intergroup outcomes (e.g., support for hostile policies) above and beyond prejudice (e.g., Kteily & Bruneau, 2017b; Kteily et al., 2015, 2016; Wilde et al., 2014).”
Self-citation
The Early Expression of Blatant Dehumanization in Children and Its Association with Outgroup Negativity
Zhou, W., & Hare, B. A. (2022) · Human Nature · doi:10.1007/s12110-022-09427-x · Cited by 13
“A link has been shown between the tendency to dehumanize, the withdrawal of prosociality, and the acceptance of outgroup harm across cultures—even after statistically controlling for levels of prejudice (Bruneau et al., 2020; Kteily & Bruneau, 2017; Kteily et al., 2015, 2016).”
Background
Experimental studies of conflict: Challenges, solutions, and advice to junior scholars
Minson, J. A., Bendersky, C., Dreu, C. K. W. D., Halperin, E., & Schroeder, J. (2023) · Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes · doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2023.104257 · Cited by 10
“…to certain stimuli and the members of another experimental group would infer their opponents ’ reactions to the same (Campbell et al., 2014; Dorison & Minson, 2022; Klein, 2019; Kteily & Bruneau, 2017; Kteily et al., 2016; Lees & Cikara, 2020; Van Boven & Loewenstein, 2005; Van Boven et al., 2013).”
Background
Fostering Social Cohesion in Post‐Conflict Societies: The Power of Normative Apologies in Reducing Competitive Victimhood and Enhancing Reconciliation and Intergroup Negotiation
Borinca, I., Koç, Y., & Mustafa, S. (2024) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.3116 · Cited by 10
'Zombie drugs': Dehumanising news frames and public stigma towards people who use drugs
Sumnall, H. R., Holland, A., Atkinson, A., Montgomery, C., Nicholls, J. Q., & Maynard, O. (2025) · International Journal of Drug Policy · doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.2025.104714 · Cited by 10
“As with stigma, individuals and groups can believe that others perceive them in a dehumanising way, and through observation or interaction, this can be internalised with negative effects of reduced self-worth and help-seeking (Bastian & Crimston, 2014; Kteily, Hodson, & Bruneau, 2016).”
The Consequences of Hate Crime Victimization: Considering Prejudicial Attitudes as an Outcome of Interracial Bias-Motivated Conflict
Lantz, B., Malcom, Z. T., & Wenger, M. R. (2023) · Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency · doi:10.1177/00224278231179418 · Cited by 10
“Individuals are especially likely to reciprocate following experiences with “ blatant dehumanization ” (Kteily, Hodson, and Bruneau 2016, 9), a concept that can aptly be applied to many interpersonal hate crimes (Perry 2001; see also Malcom and Lantz 2020).”
Influential
How meta-humanization leads to conciliatory attitudes but not intergroup negotiation: The mediating roles of attribution of secondary emotions and blatant dehumanization
Borinca, I., Assche, J. V., & Koç, Y. (2024) · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2024.100198 · Cited by 10
Group‐based meta‐emotion and emotion responses to intergroup threat
Pauketat, J. V. T., Mackie, D. M., & Tausch, N. (2019) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12364 · Cited by 13
“Likewise, metadehumanization (thinking an outgroup dehumanizes the ingroup) led ingroup members to subsequently dehumanize that outgroup (Kteily et al., 2016).”
Background
Facing humanness: Facial width-to-height ratio predicts ascriptions of humanityPreprint
Deska, J. C., Lloyd, E. P., & Hugenberg, K. (2017) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/5ak6b · Cited by 11
Effective ways for reducing dehumanization: interpersonal and intergroup strategies
Prati, F., Crapolicchio, E., Dvořáková, A., Bernardo, G. A. D., & Ruzzante, D. (2023) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101277 · Cited by 9
Configural face processing and its influence on the timeline of mentalization
Ruzzante, D., & Vaes, J. (2024) · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2024.100184 · Cited by 8
The tendency to dehumanize, group malleability beliefs, and perceived threat from migrants in Hungary
Paskuj, B., & Orosz, G. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.910848 · Cited by 8
“More contextual contributing factors of dehumanization include power (Lammers and Stapel, 2011), threat (Goldenberg et al., 2009; Kteily et al., 2016), and motives to enhance the ingroup (Castano and Giner-Sorolla, 2006).”
Background
Political (Meta-)Dehumanization in Mental Representations: Divergent Emphases in the Minds of Liberals Versus Conservatives
Petsko, C. D., & Kteily, N. (2023) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672231180971 · Cited by 10
Self-citation
The Profiles, Predictors, and Intergroup Outcomes of Cultural Attachment
Liu, Y., Hou, Y., & Hong, Y. (2023) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672231190753 · Cited by 12
“As prior literature did, two measures were included to get a more comprehensive measure of dehuman-ization: The Ascent of (Hu)Man Scale and a multi-item de-humanization rating (Kteily et al., 2016).”
Moral elevation mitigates dehumanization of ethnic outgroups
Engels, T., Traast, I. J., Doosje, B., Amodio, D. M., & Sauter, D. A. (2024) · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2024.100187 · Cited by 8
Clever or foolish? Playing with the rivalry in leveraging sports sponsorships of SMEs
Walzel, S., & Nowak, G. (2021) · International Small Business Journal Researching Entrepreneurship · doi:10.1177/02662426211009081 · Cited by 8
Ideological Extremism Among Syrian Refugees Is Negatively Related to Intentions to Migrate to the West
Jaśko, K., Webber, D. J., Molinario, E., Kruglanski, A. W., & Touchton-Leonard, K. (2021) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797621996668 · Cited by 8
Political violence and inaccurate metaperceptions
Lees, J. (2022) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · doi:10.1073/pnas.2204045119 · Cited by 6
Reduced helping intentions are better explained by the attribution of antisocial emotions than by ‘infrahumanization’
Enock, F. E., & Over, H. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-10460-0 · Cited by 8
Apology and Its Acceptance: Perceived Reconciliatory Attitudes Reduce Outgroup Dehumanization
Jin, W. J., Park, S. H., & Park, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809513 · Cited by 9
Organizational culture, justice, dehumanization and affective commitment in French employees: A serial mediation model
Hamel, J., Scrima, F., Massot, L., & Montalan, B. (2023) · Europe’s Journal of Psychology · doi:10.5964/ejop.8243 · Cited by 8
“This shortcoming in the literature has notably been addressed by contextualizing metadehumanization—which describes the subjective experience of feeling dehumanized by others (Kteily et al., 2016)—to the work domain.”
Background
Thought-Feeling Accuracy in Person Perception and Metaperception: An Integrative Perspective
Vorauer, J. D., Hodges, S. D., & Hall, J. A. (2025) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-011624-024416 · Cited by 7
What Happens When You Can’t Check the Box? Categorization Threat and Public Opinion among Middle Eastern and North African Americans
d’Urso, A. S. (2025) · American Political Science Review · doi:10.1017/s0003055425100919 · Cited by 7
“…(Akram and Johnson 2003; Bey-doun 2015a; Maira 2014), stereotyped as subhuman (d ’ Urso 2022; Kteily and Bruneau 2017; Kteily et al. 2015; Kteily, Hodson, and Bruneau 2016), and have unique healthcare needs from other ethnoracial groups (Abuelezam 2020; Dallo et al. 2023; El-Sayed and…”
Priming attachment security and outgroup humanization: The mediation role of intergroup emotions
Capozza, D., Falvo, R., & Bernardo, G. A. D. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0265714 · Cited by 7
How Feeling Understood Predicts Trust and Willingness to Forgive in the Midst of Violent Intergroup Conflict: Longitudinal Evidence From Ukraine
Brik, T., Livingstone, A., Chayinska, M., & Bliznyuk, E. (2023) · Social Psychological and Personality Science · doi:10.1177/19485506231183195 · Cited by 8
“…other evidence on the role of meta-perceptions in both driving and reducing polarization and intergroup tension (e.g., Frey & Tropp, 2006; Kteily et al., 2016; Lees & Cikara, 2020; Ruggeri et al., 2021; Vorauer et al., 1998), suggesting that, when we feel that outgroup members understand…”
Background
The joke is on us? National narcissism and dispositions towards laughter
Szczepańska, D., Marchlewska, M., Rogoza, R., Podsiadłowski, W., Molenda, Z., Maciantowicz, O., Rogoza, M., & Klusek, D. (2024) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2024.112543 · Cited by 8
Effect of Implicit Prejudice on Intergroup Conflict: The Cognitive Processing Bias Perspective
Lian-rong, S., Wang, P., & Bai, Y. (2019) · Journal of Interpersonal Violence · doi:10.1177/0886260519844271 · Cited by 7
“Parrott, Zeichner, and Hoover (2006) and Kteily, Hodson, and Bruneau (2016) also reported that social prejudice could trigger interpersonal violent behaviors.”
Background
Bridging Partisan Divides: Dialectical Engagement and Deep Sociality
Mascolo, M. F. (2020) · Journal of Constructivist Psychology · doi:10.1080/10720537.2020.1805065 · Cited by 7
“Framed as a contest or battle over positions, adversarial problem-solving becomes driven not simply by the local issues at hand, but also by the human desire to maintain dignity and avoid humiliation (Kteily et al., 2016).”
Background
Examining Racial Discrimination’s Association With Depressive Symptoms Through Metadehumanization Among African Americans: Does Racial Identity Matter?
Mekawi, Y., & Watson‐Singleton, N. N. (2020) · Journal of Black Psychology · doi:10.1177/0095798420983664 · Cited by 7
“Also, for Muslims in the United States, metadehumanization was associated with more support for violent collective action (Kteily et al., 2016).”
BackgroundMethodInfluential
Vorurteile und Intergruppenbeziehungen
Spears, R., & Tausch, N. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-65297-8_14 · Cited by 7
Under fire: Meta‐dehumanization and burnout among first responders
Mika‐Lude, K. M., Degges‐White, S., & Isawi, D. T. (2023) · Journal of Employment Counseling · doi:10.1002/joec.12208 · Cited by 7
Palestinians and Israelis Believe the Other’s God Encourages Intergroup Benevolence: A Case of Positive Intergroup Meta-PerceptionsPreprint
Shackleford, C. M., Pasek, M. H., Vishkin, A., & Ginges, J. (2021) · PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2023.104551 · Cited by 8
“…negatively biased intergroup perceptions may be pronounced in conflict settings, as people overestimate how much outgroup members dehumanize them (Kteily, Hodson, & Bruneau, 2016) and overly attribute negative motives to others (Lees & Cikara, 2020; Pronin, Kruger, Savtisky, & Ross, 2001;…”
Co-radicalisation of Islamist and Nativist Extremists in Europe
Kaya, A., & Adam‐Troian, J. (2021) · Journal of Muslims in Europe · doi:10.1163/22117954-bja10034 · Cited by 8
The Way They See Us: Examining the Content, Accuracy, and Bias of Metaperceptions Held by Syrian Refugees About the Communities That Host Them
Webber, D. J., Molinario, E., Jaśko, K., Gelfand, M. J., & Kruglanski, A. W. (2023) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672231190222 · Cited by 6
“The literature reflects this, examining metaperceptions of prejudice, dehumaniza-tion, and even interest in intergroup contact, to name a few (e.g., Kteily et al., 2016; Moore-Berg et al., 2020; Rudman & Fetterolf, 2014; Stathi et al., 2020).”
The Development of Intergroup Cooperation: Children Show Impartial Fairness and Biased Care
Corbit, J. D., MacDougall, H., Hartlin, S., & Moore, C. L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.825987 · Cited by 8
Mutual radicalisation of opposing extremist groups via the InternetPreprint
Gallacher, J., & Heerdink, M. W. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/dtfc5 · Cited by 6
Looking White But Feeling Asian: The Role of Perceived Membership Permeability and Perceived Discrimination in Multiracial-Monoracial Alliances
Merrell, W. N., Vossoughi, N., Kteily, N. S., & Ho, A. K. (2024) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672241267332 · Cited by 5
“…physically permeable multiracial Asian-White people improved attitudes toward this group, our work also underscores the value and efficacy of studying (and correcting) meta-perceptions as a strategy for improving intergroup outcomes (Kteily et al., 2016; Lees & Cikara, 2019; Mernyk et al., 2022).”
Self-citation
How collective punishment harm intergroup relations through ingroup homogeneity, perceived fairness, and counter‐collective action: A registered report
Uysal, M. S., Çoksan, S., & Kessler, T. (2024) · Political Psychology · doi:10.1111/pops.13028 · Cited by 7
“Individuals tend to reciprocate based on their perception of the outgroup's evaluations about the ingroup, whether those evaluations are positive or negative (Doosje & Haslam, 2005; Kteily et al., 2016).”
Virtual contact improves intergroup relations between non-Muslim American and Muslim students from the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia in a field quasi-experiment
Hebel‐Sela, S., Hameiri, B., Tropp, L. R., Moore‐Berg, S. L., Saxe, R. R., Halperin, E., & Bruneau, E. (2025) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-025-00218-5 · Cited by 6
Self-citation
Identifying and Unpacking the Role of Social Identity in Moderating Evaluations of Police-Civilian Interactions
Hazen, K. P., & Brank, E. M. (2023) · Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology · doi:10.1007/s11896-022-09559-x · Cited by 7
“Self-categorization theory suggests that not only does self-other overlap predict respectful treatment of others but also our trust in their intentions toward us (Cruways et al., 2021; Kteily et al., 2016; Mourtgos et al., 2020).”
Background
Child images affect sports fans' prosociality and aggression
Aytaç, M. B., & BİLİR, H. (2023) · Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics · doi:10.1016/j.socec.2023.102150 · Cited by 5
You are not like the rest of them: disrupting meta-perceptions dilutes dehumanization
Carriere, K. R., Hallenbeck, G., Sullivan, D., & Ghion, R. (2024) · Frontiers in Social Psychology · doi:10.3389/frsps.2024.1369709 · Cited by 5
Fostering Prosociality in Refugee Children: An Intervention With Rohingya Children
Callaghan, T. C., Colasante, T., Muhammad, S., Corbit, J. D., Yavuz, H. M., Raffaele, C., Akter, R., Al‐Janaideh, R., Duan, T.-Y., Didkowsky, N., et al. (2024) · Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development · doi:10.1111/mono.12477 · Cited by 5
Two paths to violence: Individual versus group emotions during conflict escalation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Fink, O., Hasan‐Aslih, S., & Halperin, E. (2024) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302241277377 · Cited by 6
“Among these, emotions such as anger (Zeitzoff, 2014), contempt (Kteily et al., 2016), hate (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008), and humil-iation (Fink et al., 2022) stand out as recognized predictors of support for violence (Halperin, 2016; Pearlman, 2013).”
Facilitating the prosocial development of Rohingya refugee children
Corbit, J. D., Didkowsky, N., Gora, V., Reddy, H., Muhammad, S., & Callaghan, T. C. (2022) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105414 · Cited by 5
The tethered humanity hypothesis among victims of interpersonal harm: The role of apologies, forgiveness, and the relation between self-, other-, and meta-perceptions of humanity
Vaes, J., Orabona, N., Muslu, Ö., & Piazza, M. (2022) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302221101317 · Cited by 5
“…central reported finding seems to show that meta-dehumanization—the perception that one’s own group is perceived by another group as less than fully human—begets outgroup dehumanization and outgroup aggression both among majority (Kteily et al., 2016) and minority groups (Kteily & Bruneau, 2017).”
BackgroundResult
COVID ‐19 and climate change: The social‐psychological roots of conflict and conflict interventions during global crises
Burrows, B., Abellera, C., & Markowitz, E. M. (2023) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.837 · Cited by 5
Leaders’ Human–Robot Comparison Behavior and Subordinate Counterproductive Work Behavior: Insights from Dehumanization Theory
Zheng, X., Zheng, L., Fang, Y., Hewlin, P. F., & Wang, H. (2025) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2025.2470288 · Cited by 5
“Dehumanization theory suggests that individuals who perceive being dehumanized often reciprocate the dehumanizing treat-ment by engaging in antisocial behaviors or supporting aggression against the perpetrators (Haslam & Loughnan, 2014; N. Kteily et al., 2016).”
When victimhood threatens democracy: competitive victimhood predicts anti-democratic policy support through dehumanization for Republicans and Democrats
Nguyen, C. M., Moore‐Berg, S. L., & Hameiri, B. (2025) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2025.2502818 · Cited by 5
“Likewise, individuals who feel dehumanized are more likely to reciprocally dehumanize the outgroup (Kteily et al., 2016; Landry et al., 2021; Moore-Berg et al., 2020) and support hostile responses to the perpetrator group (Kteily & Bruneau, 2017; Kteily et al., 2016).”
Are people better employees than machines? Dehumanizing language and employee performance appraisals
Fowler, L., & Utych, S. (2021) · Social Science Quarterly · doi:10.1111/ssqu.13057 · Cited by 5
Political Psychology in the Arab Region
Hawi, D. R., Zeineddine, F. B., Saab, R., Ayanian, A. H., & Harb, C. (2022) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108779104.042 · Cited by 5
Our Brains at War
Fitzduff, M. (2021) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197512654.001.0001 · Cited by 6
“Am I not human?”: Reasserting humanness in response to group-based dehumanization
Howe, L. C., Schumann, K., & Walton, G. M. (2022) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302221095730 · Cited by 5
“For example, perceiving that one’s social group is dehumanized by others prompts strong reactions (e.g., hostility, support for violence; Kteily & Bruneau, 2017; Kteily et al., 2016).”
Background
Why, how and with whom? The impact of perceived ally motives on migrants’ support for collective actions
Urbiola, A., Carmona‐López, C., & de Lemus, S. (2023) · Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.cresp.2023.100157 · Cited by 5
We share the Euro, but not our humanity: Humanity attributions are associated with the perceived causes, consequences, and solution to the Greek financial crisis
Sainz, M., Loughnan, S., Eyssel, F., & Pina, A. (2019) · The Social Science Journal · doi:10.1016/j.soscij.2019.03.007 · Cited by 5
Reducing Explicit Blatant Dehumanization by Correcting Exaggerated Meta-PerceptionsPreprint
Landry, A., Schooler, J. W., Willer, R., & Seli, P. (2021) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/9ty3q · Cited by 5
Introduction to the Special Issue of Group Processes & Intergroup Relations Less than Human: What People who are Dehumanized Think, Feel, and Do
Baldissarri, C., Demoulin, S., & Kteily, N. (2022) · Group Processes & Intergroup Relations · doi:10.1177/13684302221139414 · Cited by 5
“For example, at the intergroup level, recent work has analyzed the metaperception that another group dehumanizes our own group (e.g., Kteily et al., 2016), showing that feeling dehumanized is distinct from feeling disliked (e.g., Kteily & Bruneau, 2017a,b; Landry et al., 2021) and that…”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citation

Authors: Kteily, N., Hodson, G., & Bruneau, E.
Affiliations: Northwestern University (US)
Brock University (CA)
University of Pennsylvania (US)
ORCID: Kteily, Nour
Hodson, Gordon
Bruneau, Emile
Venue: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Published: 2016
Volume: 110
Issue: 3
Pages: 343-370
ISSN: 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
1939-1315
DOI: 10.1037/pspa0000044
OpenAlex: W2296577595
Cited by: 376
References: 75
Citations by year: 2026: 37 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 42 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 39 · 2021: 66 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 6
FWCI: 64.64
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
repository.upenn.edu
Locations: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) (submittedVersion)
Funders: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Keywords: intergroup aggression, intergroup conflict, outgroup prejudice, Arab-Muslim relations, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Roma, ISIS, Iran
MeSH terms: Adult, Aggression, Female, Group Processes, Romani People, Humans, Hungary, Islam, Israel, Male, Middle Aged, Prejudice, United States, Arabs, Dehumanization

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

They see us as less than human: Metadehumanization predicts intergroup conflict via reciprocal dehumanization.

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Self-check

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks