Objectification

Research on objectification and dehumanization deals with the question: Under what conditions is a person perceived as human? Following on from this, researchers have examined to what extent one's perception of a person differs from one's perception of an object. Additionally, researchers studied the denial of human nature and human uniqueness. This entry provides an overview of the key concepts in this area of research, namely objectification, sexual objectification, self‐objectification, and dehumanization. Within the field of media psychology, researchers have investigated the types and extent of objectification in mass media as well as its consequences for media users. Empirical evidence from content analyses suggests that objectification is a widespread media phenomenon that has been identified in a large number of media types and genres. Findings also indicate that the use of objectifying media can negatively affect individuals' self‐perception (i.e., lead to self‐objectification) as well as their perceptions of and attitudes towards others.