Question

Dehumanizing by building empathy. Will this concept help the prevention of massacres such as the My Lai Massacre?

Answer 1

Dehumanization refers to a process which undermines individuality in others. It is basically depriving a person or group of positive human qualities. There are two strong psychological forces that fuel dehumanization. They are psychological essentialism (every person has a unique essence) and psychological dynamic (nature is a hierarchy).

Empathy is the ability to perceive a situation from another's point of view. It is putting oneself in another's shoes and analysing a situation and acting accordingly.

The My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War where mass murder of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops in South Vietnam took place in the year 1968.

Dehumanizing by building empathy would increase solidarity among members of the in group. Increased in group empathy would lead to decreased attribution of secondary emotions to the victim group. Empathy is an important emotion which generates pro-social emotional response. It's aim is to restore good relations with out group members. Empathy leads to increased willingness and forgiveness among people during times of conflict. This is an important tool for intergroup reconciliations.

Dehumanization or denying humanness to others is a potential psychological response to being reminded of in-group responsibilies for past wrongdoings. Feelings of empathy can be undermined when the victim group is perceived to be less human. Therefore, both the group should recognize each other as human beings with a life and that might lead to understanding of each other's pain. However, group members tend to protect themselves by dehumanizing the victims and thereby feeling less empathy.