Dining against Dehumanization
A Mixed-Methods and Interdisciplinary Approach to Assessing the Humanizing Effects of Sharing a Meal with Individuals Experiencing Homelessness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20332467 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Brittany M Tausen (0000-0003-2371-8341, Seattle Pacific University, corresponding author), Katherine M Douglass (0000-0002-7633-8513, Seattle Pacific University), Rebecca Hodges (Seattle Pacific University), Bella Rivera (0000-0002-7822-4114, Seattle Pacific University), Caitlin Thomas (Seattle Pacific University) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 174-190 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Psychology and Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0091-6471 • E-ISSN: 2328-1162 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00916471221130325 |
| OpenAlex | W4307711722 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 39 |
Aside from loving God, the hallmark of a Christ-filled life is to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Mark 12:31). Thus, spiritual formation should be evidenced by an increased depth and breadth of love for others. Using qualitative (Study 1) and quantitative (Study 2) methods, we explored how sharing a meal and fellowshipping with a member of a marginalized group (a theological practice) shaped college students’ perceptions of their unhoused neighbors. Results demonstrated that students recognized human-like traits associated with an individual experiencing homelessness after a shared meal, but that the encounters did not significantly reduce the dehumanization of individuals experiencing homelessness as a whole (relative to a control no dinner condition). In addition to theoretical implications for psychologists interested in intergroup contact, our findings have implications for those trying to cultivate Christian virtues such as neighbor love through classroom or ministerial practices
Dehumanization · Empathy · Perception · Sociology · Anthropology · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness
The “contact hypothesis”
Blaming, praising, and protecting our humanity
The Roles of Dehumanization and Moral Outrage in Retributive Justice
Dehumanization and Infrahumanization
Intergroup biases
Dehumanization increases instrumental violence, but not moral violence
Experiencing Dehumanization
Human‐itarian aid? Two forms of dehumanization and willingness to help after natural disasters
Dehumanization
The impacts of religion, political ideology, and social capital on religious and secular giving
No convincing evidence outgroups are denied uniquely human characteristics
Of Widows and Meals
Humanness and Dehumanization
Improving intergroup relations with extended and vicarious forms of indirect contact
The contact hypothesis re-evaluated
Aid in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Befriending the enemy
Intergroup Contact
Hosting a Tent City
Public exposure and attitudes about homelessness
Proximity with limited humanity
Can we really reduce ethnic prejudice outside the lab? A meta‐analysis of direct and indirect contact interventions
Demeaning
Intergroup contact
The ascent of man
More human than you
Recent advances in intergroup contact theory
Dehumanization and Social Class
Churches and the Urban Poor
Religion, Race, and Discrimination
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |