Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation
Objectification denies individuals’ personhood and renders them as tools for facilitating others’ goal achievement. With two studies (N = 446), the present investigation aimed to contribute to the literature by testing whether and how objectification impacts prosociality, including prosocial intenti...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1120513/full |
| _version_ | 1797810966700752896 |
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| author | Zaixuan Zhang Zhansheng Chen Kai-Tak Poon Tonglin Jiang |
| author_facet | Zaixuan Zhang Zhansheng Chen Kai-Tak Poon Tonglin Jiang |
| author_sort | Zaixuan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectification denies individuals’ personhood and renders them as tools for facilitating others’ goal achievement. With two studies (N = 446), the present investigation aimed to contribute to the literature by testing whether and how objectification impacts prosociality, including prosocial intention and prosocial behavior. Study 1, with a correlational design, aimed to test whether participants with greater experience of objectification would report lower levels of prosociality, and to test whether participants’ relative deprivation could account for the proposed association between objectification and prosociality. To further test these associations and provide causal evidence, in Study 2, we manipulated objectification by asking participants to imagine future objectification experiences. These studies converged in support of the negative relationship between objectification and prosocial intention, as well as the mediating role of relative deprivation. Regarding prosocial behavior, our findings support a mediating mechanism between objectification and prosocial behavior, although the evidence for the effect of objectification on prosocial behavior is not sufficient. These findings enrich our understanding of the consequences of objectification, while highlighting interpersonal processes’ contribution to prosocial intention and behavior. The limitations and potential future directions were discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:16:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-079b2763b4ff4e7bbf2e7011a19e6f69 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T07:16:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-079b2763b4ff4e7bbf2e7011a19e6f692023-06-05T04:55:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-06-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.11205131120513Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivationZaixuan Zhang0Zhansheng Chen1Kai-Tak Poon2Tonglin Jiang3Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaDepartment of Psychology and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong SAR, ChinaBeijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaObjectification denies individuals’ personhood and renders them as tools for facilitating others’ goal achievement. With two studies (N = 446), the present investigation aimed to contribute to the literature by testing whether and how objectification impacts prosociality, including prosocial intention and prosocial behavior. Study 1, with a correlational design, aimed to test whether participants with greater experience of objectification would report lower levels of prosociality, and to test whether participants’ relative deprivation could account for the proposed association between objectification and prosociality. To further test these associations and provide causal evidence, in Study 2, we manipulated objectification by asking participants to imagine future objectification experiences. These studies converged in support of the negative relationship between objectification and prosocial intention, as well as the mediating role of relative deprivation. Regarding prosocial behavior, our findings support a mediating mechanism between objectification and prosocial behavior, although the evidence for the effect of objectification on prosocial behavior is not sufficient. These findings enrich our understanding of the consequences of objectification, while highlighting interpersonal processes’ contribution to prosocial intention and behavior. The limitations and potential future directions were discussed.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1120513/fullinterpersonal relationobjectificationrelative deprivationprosocial intentionprosocial behavior |
| spellingShingle | Zaixuan Zhang Zhansheng Chen Kai-Tak Poon Tonglin Jiang Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation Frontiers in Psychology interpersonal relation objectification relative deprivation prosocial intention prosocial behavior |
| title | Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| title_full | Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| title_fullStr | Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| title_short | Objectification decreases prosociality: the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| title_sort | objectification decreases prosociality the mediating role of relative deprivation |
| topic | interpersonal relation objectification relative deprivation prosocial intention prosocial behavior |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1120513/full |
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