Psychological research has consistently shown that individuals are prone to dehumanize those who belong to groups different from their own, especially when they perceive their own group as socially dominant or influential. Dehumanization is the process of perceiving others as less than fully human, often attributing animalistic or mechanistic qualities to them. This tendency is not merely an abstract concept; it has profound implications for social conflict, political polarization, and even violence.
A study by Bastian, Jetten, and Fasoli (2014) demonstrated that people are more likely to deny mental states, such as the capacity to feel pain or experience emotions, to members of groups they oppose. In experimental settings, participants consistently rated out-group members as less capable of experiencing complex emotions than their in-group peers. This denial of humanity facilitates moral disengagement, allowing individuals to justify harmful actions toward those they perceive as fundamentally different. For instance, research on ethnic conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia has shown that propagandistic messaging often frames out-groups in subhuman terms, making extreme violence more psychologically palatable.
Political divisions also exacerbate this effect. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, studies found that supporters of opposing candidates often perceived each other as morally deficient or emotionally less capable of understanding suffering (Waytz, Hershfield, & Tamir, 2014). Such perceptions are not limited to extreme partisans; even in everyday political disagreements, individuals tend to underestimate the intelligence, empathy, and emotional depth of those who hold opposing views. This phenomenon mirrors patterns observed in international conflicts: when groups feel socially dominant, they more readily attribute lower moral and emotional capacities to others.
Cultural and emotional alignment also plays a crucial role in fostering in-group favoritism. Haslam and Bain (2007) found that people tend to gravitate toward those who share similar emotional responses to events, whether these are feelings of outrage, joy, or sadness. Divergent emotional reactions can lead to misunderstanding and, ultimately, the perception that the other group lacks fundamental human qualities. Historical examples illustrate this pattern: in colonial Ireland, resentment toward the British was intensified by perceived indifference to suffering, fueling narratives of moral and cultural superiority within the Irish population.
Importantly, this dehumanization is not immutable. Intergroup contact, shared goals, and empathy-building interventions have been shown to reduce the tendency to view others as less human (Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006). When individuals engage with members of out-groups in cooperative and meaningful ways, they are more likely to recognize their shared humanity, diminishing the psychological distance that enables prejudice and conflict.
In conclusion, dehumanization is a pervasive psychological mechanism that arises when people perceive themselves as part of a socially dominant group and encounter those whose beliefs, emotions, or cultural backgrounds differ from their own. By understanding how and why individuals deny the humanity of others, psychologists and policymakers can develop strategies to foster empathy, reduce conflict, and encourage more humane social interactions across political, ethnic, and cultural divides.
RELIGION FUELS THE PROBLEM
Robert Ingersoll noted that the Bible and the faith have not given us one useful fact to help us technologically or medically or any other way. Thus the person of religious faith is not intrinsically better than the secularist who through science and wisdom helps us to progress materially and in terms of our health. Faith in religion is not better than faith in secularism. Even if faith in secularism seems barren and difficult it is what you owe the best things in your life to at the end of the day.
Religion undermines the good work psychologists could do to make society more open and inclusive and accepting. It does that merely by NOT being based on psychology. It does that by ministering to people and blocking or delaying their sense that they need to go to a psychologist. If people are inclined to see those who contradict them as less than them or less than human then religion should not be creating extra grounds for disagreement and using guesses and un- evidenced doctrines and rituals. That only makes the problem worse. There is enough to disagree about without that nonsense. If you believe in God but say you don't have a religion then you are a one-person religion so you are still part of the problem. You think you and God are running a religion, the religion of you.
Overreliance on Prayer Can Oversimplify Complex Problems
Religious approaches often emphasize prayer or faith as the main solution to personal and social issues.
This can lead to ignoring underlying psychological or emotional causes of suffering, leaving people without effective coping strategies.
Prayer Alone May Encourage Avoidance of Reality
By focusing on divine intervention rather than actionable steps, religion can inadvertently promote denial or passivity.
People may rely on hope instead of addressing interpersonal conflict, trauma, or mental health struggles.
Weak Answers and Misdirection
Religious teachings sometimes provide morally comforting but psychologically shallow explanations, such as “it’s God’s will,” which do not tackle real-life causes of distress or intergroup tensions.
This can redirect attention away from practical solutions, fostering frustration or resentment when prayer does not resolve problems.
Ignoring Psychological Science
Many religious traditions neglect research-based approaches to understanding human behavior, emotion, and cognition.
Techniques like cognitive-behavioral strategies, social-emotional learning, and conflict resolution are often undervalued or dismissed.
Reinforcing Group Biases and Dehumanization
When religion frames in-group/out-group dynamics as morally or spiritually absolute, it can unintentionally exacerbate dehumanization.
People may see others as “less faithful” or “morally inferior,” further discouraging empathy and evidence-based understanding of differences.
Limiting Personal Agency
Focusing solely on prayer can reduce personal responsibility for change.
Psychological approaches emphasize practical steps, self-awareness, and coping mechanisms, which religion sometimes underemphasizes.
Neglecting Emotional Diversity
Religion often prescribes “appropriate” emotional responses (e.g., forgiveness, patience) without accounting for individual differences in coping.
This can alienate people who need tailored psychological support to process trauma, anger, or grief.
In short: religion’s overemphasis on prayer and moral answers can undercut practical psychological understanding, ignore the science of human behavior, and sometimes reinforce the very social biases that create suffering.
APPENDIX
Psychological testing and studies have found that people tend to dehumanise those who do not agree with them. If you are in a grouping that is or thinks it is socially dominant and influential you will look at other groups of people as being less people than the people in your group. Ktiely and his researchers used a scale to measure how one group dehumanises others groups (Bruneau & Kteily, 2017). The results were alarming for example Israelis virtually rated Palestinians as being almost animals. It is no wonder then those who are pro-Trump tend to care less if something awful and destructive happens to Obama supporters and vice versa. Haslam and Stratemeyer (2016) determined that this denial of the humanity of others in a different group is caused by how different groups emotionally respond differently to different situations. The Irish in the past hated the British partly for allowing abortion or tolerating it instead of being enraged. This hate was enough on its own but you see the point: people prefer those who have the same feelings as themselves about most things as this makes their social interaction easier.