Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research is to understand how dehumanization is manifested in processes of secessionism or group separatism, where an initial social identity is shared. Method: Two hundred sixty-five volunteer participants from a national region participated in an experiment with two conditions. The experimental condition manipulated the perception of intragroup conflict by reading a fake article related to the comparative disadvantages of collective welfare between the local region and other national areas. The control condition presented neutral news about national well-being. Participants responded to a dehumanization scale in two versions (ingroup and superordinate ingroup-counterbalanced). Results: The main findings showed that, in a perceived conflict situation, the superordinate outgroup was perceived as less human from both animalistic and mechanistic perspectives. These results were not observed in the control condition, where no conflict was perceived. Conclusions: It is concluded that dynamics of dehumanization can be observed in intragroup contexts, fueled by a specific secessionist context. Furthermore, the intragroup dehumanization profile may vary when facing a secessionist conflict, which generates perceptions of dehumanization toward the superordinate outgroup. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) © 2025 American Psychological Association; Dehumanization can occur in the context of secessionist conflict, where a secessionist group desires separation from a superordinate ingroup. When such conflicts occur, people in the secessionist group may perceive the superordinate group as lacking uniquely human attributes and human nature (animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization). Dehumanization of the superordinate group can encourage the secessionist group to develop a separate identity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved) © 2025 American Psychological Association