Dehumanization and the lack of social connection

Dehumanization is traditionally considered in the context of intergroup conflict. An emerging body of research examines how it also occurs in interpersonal relationships and is associated with social exclusion and disconnection rather than conflict. This article examines how humanness implicates social relatedness, how social distance fosters perceptions of others as less human than the self, and how dehumanizing perceptions undermine close...