Reducing dehumanization outcomes towards Blacks. The role of multiple categorization and of human identity

This contribution addresses the issue of reduction of dehumanization towards Blacks, an outgroup that has been historically targeted by heinous prejudice. The study tested, for the first time, whether the combination of multiple categorization and human identity represents the most optimal condition for reducing dehumanization towards Blacks. The main dependent variables were attribution of secondary emotions and inalienability of human rights. Results highlighted the combination of multiple categorization and human identity as the most effective strategy in reducing dehumanization towards Blacks. Evidence of this study sheds light on the possible ways through which conceiving others in terms of complex categorical criteria, that is, as members of the human group in conjunction with other communal or different social categories, can lead to more harmonious intergroup relations.