Awe and its humanizing action: study on dehumanization and embodiment of emotion

Abstract

Dehumanization consists in denying uniquely human (UH) or human nature (HN) characteristics to other individuals. In this way, a non-attribution of secondary emotions to people make outgroup a way to dehumanize them, since as it approaches animality. This is a phenomenon that occurs in several contexts of socialization, being typically dehumanized people evaluated with low competence. Concurrently, in power relations where there is an overestimation of self-perception of competence, dehumanization is accentuated. Moreover, there is an intrinsic tendency for the human being to self-evaluate as better, more competent, or even more human than others. Another aspect of self-perception is associated with a corporation of emotions, this phenomenon occurs when we evaluate in which body parts each of the emotions is felt. At the same time, studies demonstrate that emotions as a contemplation play an important role in expanding pro-social behaviors and generosity. In this sense, questions can be raised about the process of dehumanization. Being as attributions of secondary emotions in a dehumanizing way, it is possible to infer that an embodiment of emotions occurred in a different way when we imagine that this emotion and the emotion of someone belonging to a group typically dehumanized. Evaluating this aspect is the objective of the experiment one. On the other hand, contemplation is an emotion that behaves pro-socially and generously. The experiment two aims to evaluate if after being exposed to the contemplative emotion, the corporate maps of the emotions produced for the outgroup begin to resemble those produced for themselves and the ingroup. The findings derived from this study contribute to an understanding of dehumanization and humanization processes that allow the elaboration of strategies and efficient inclusion. (AU)