The Words of (Non-)Humanity: Sexist Slurs Elicit Self-Dehumanization in Women
Dados Bibliográficos
AUTOR(ES) | |
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AFILIAÇÃO(ÕES) | University of Padova, Padova, Italy, NYU Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy |
ANO | 2025 |
TIPO | Artigo |
PERIÓDICO | Journal of Language and Social Psychology |
ISSN | 0261-927X |
E-ISSN | 1552-6526 |
EDITORA | Annual Reviews (United States) |
DOI | 10.1177/0261927x241292308 |
ADICIONADO EM | 2025-08-18 |
Resumo
Derogatory labels increase dehumanization in bystanders; research however has yet to investigate whether the same applies to victims themselves. In three preregistered studies ( Ntotal = 1146), we predicted that women targeted with sexist slurs would dehumanize themselves. Participants imagined or recalled a situation in which a man addressed them with a generic insult, a sexist slur, or no insult. Then, we assessed self-dehumanization (primary and secondary emotions, perceptions of the self as an object or a person, and self-attributed warmth and competence) and meta-dehumanization (studies 2 and 3), namely the perception of the dehumanizing intentions of the speaker. Sexist slurs led participants to consider themselves as less human- and more object-like, and this effect was partially mediated by meta-dehumanization. Therefore, sexist slurs can affect women's self-perception by eliciting self-dehumanization, which negatively impacts women's wellbeing and life outcomes. Findings are discussed especially considering the debate around hate speech policing.