Cogs in the machine: The prioritization of money and self-dehumanization

We examined when and why the self can also be dehumanized. Across six studies, we found a reciprocal relationship between self-dehumanization and the prioritization of money. Participants who prioritized money (vs. control participants) attributed less humanness to themselves (Studies 1–4), and in turn, chose to socially distance themselves from a coworker (Study 4). Participants led to self-humanize (vs. control participants) were less likely to prioritize money over other goals (Studies 5A-6). The human nature dimension of humanness, which refers to attributes that separate humans from inanimate objects, was more sensitive to money-prioritization than was the human uniqueness dimension, which refers to attributes that separate humans from non-human animals. Alternative explanations based on affect and self-esteem were ruled out. These results suggest that the prioritization of money is at odds with our perceptions of human nature.

Source: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes - September 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research