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Objectification of enemies less likely to negatively affect mental health of soldiers
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Training combat troops to visualize their enemies with indifference rather than hatred can reduce the incidence of war crimes, as well as aid veterans in re-assimilating to non-combat life, results from a recent study at Case Western Reserve University suggest.
“Our evidence shows that objectification frees up mental resources, whereas animalistic dehumanization uses up all our resources, both empathetic and analytic,” study researcher Anthony Jack, PhD, assistant professor of cognitive science, said in a press release.
In light of a rising suicide rate among returning veterans, as well as the occurrence of US-committed war crimes such as the recent massacre of Afghan civilians by Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, the concern for the psychological health of veterans is growing. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record the brain activity of adults aged 19 to 59 years who were given a visual questionnaire. The questionnaire presented each participant with a hypothetical human situation intended to evoke the two recognized types of dehumanizing and humanizing, labeled as mechanistic, or objectifying, and animalistic.
“Objectifying can be useful in everyday life. We want surgeons to think of a person as a biological machine that they are cutting to fix, rather than being distracted by emotions,” Jack said. “But they also have to switch back to thinking of the person as a human so they have a genuine appreciation of what the patient needs and cares about. Studies show this sort of empathetic connection is also critically important for optimal outcomes.”
Results of the fMRIs showed that mechanistic dehumanization deactivated the social reasoning network while maintaining the same level of analytic reasoning activity, whereas animalistic dehumanization produced high levels of activity in both the social and the analytic reasoning network. According to the researchers, this animalistic dehumanization creates a cycle of hatred that escalates the atrocities that either side can commit out of hate. Through careful word choice such as “neutralizing” in place of killing, as well as post-conflict reconciliation, soldiers can actively fight without holding contempt for the enemy, and also retain mental health after leaving combat.
“Objectifying is a necessary but temporary fix. To feel fully human ourselves, we need to be able to reconcile our actions toward our fellow humans. That is easier to achieve if you have objectified in a limited way for a good reason, although it often still requires some readjustment and sorrow. The situation is much harder psychologically if you have descended into hatred and contempt,” Jack said.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.