Investigating the link between biological dehumanization and indirect aggression


Journal article


Roberta Rosa Valtorta, Cristina Baldissarri, Chiara Volpato
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, vol. 34, 2024, pp. e2761


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APA   Click to copy
Valtorta, R. R., Baldissarri, C., & Volpato, C. (2024). Investigating the link between biological dehumanization and indirect aggression. Journal of Community &Amp; Applied Social Psychology, 34, e2761. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2761


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Valtorta, Roberta Rosa, Cristina Baldissarri, and Chiara Volpato. “Investigating the Link between Biological Dehumanization and Indirect Aggression.” Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology 34 (2024): e2761.


MLA   Click to copy
Valtorta, Roberta Rosa, et al. “Investigating the Link between Biological Dehumanization and Indirect Aggression.” Journal of Community &Amp; Applied Social Psychology, vol. 34, 2024, p. e2761, doi:10.1002/casp.2761.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{roberta2024a,
  title = {Investigating the link between biological dehumanization and indirect aggression},
  year = {2024},
  journal = {Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology},
  pages = {e2761},
  volume = {34},
  doi = {10.1002/casp.2761},
  author = {Valtorta, Roberta Rosa and Baldissarri, Cristina and Volpato, Chiara}
}

Abstract

The present research aims at expanding the literature on biologization (i.e., a form of dehumanization in which others are perceived as contagious entities) by providing the first empirical evidence of the link between this sociopsychological process and indirect aggression (i.e., behaviors intended to harm someone in a roundabout manner, such as excluding them from a group or society). We first identified the most dehumanized social groups in Italy. Then, by using cluster analysis, we demonstrated that biologized social groups (i.e., drug addicts, homeless people, prostitutes, and sick people) tend especially to be victims of indirect rather than direct aggression tendencies (i.e., intentions against individuals or groups to cause damage through face-to-face confrontation). Furthermore, we found that social groups associated with disease-related metaphors are more likely to be victims of indirect aggression than social groups perceived as animal-like (i.e., immigrants, prisoners, and Roma). These findings enrich our understanding of biological dehumanization and enhance the so far scarce literature on the topic.