Dirty jobs and dehumanization of workers

Valtorta, Roberta Rosa; Baldissarri, Cristina; Andrighetto, Luca; Volpato, Chiara

doi:10.1111/bjso.12315

Cited by 38 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In parallel, Andrighetto, Baldissarri, and Volpato (2017;see also Baldissarri et al, 2017; 2017 for a review) revealed that (factory) workers performing subordinate activities characterized by repetitive movements, fragmented activities, and dependence on machines were objectified by laypeople -that is, perceived as instrument-like (vs. a human being) and as less able to experience human mental states. In this respect, by integrating our findings with previous research (e.g., Andrighetto et al, 2017;Valtorta et al, 2019), it is plausible to think that objectification and biologization should differently apply to distinct tainted occupational categories. On the one hand, objectification seems to be related to the work activities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Disgust is widely regarded as an innate and a highly unmodifiable emotion that deeply shapes how people react towards others (Rozin, Haidt, & McCauley, 2008;Russel & Giner-Sorolla, 2013). Accordingly, a large amount of social psychological literature (see, e.g., Buckels & Trapnell, 2013;Hodson & Costello, 2007) has shown that disgust is a rel- Valtorta, R. R., et al (2019). The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers.…”

Section: Disgust and Dehumanizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, to provide evidence that the effect of work environments via disgust on dehumanizing perception is a peculiar process of biological dehumanization, two other forms of dehumanization (i.e., animalization and objectification, namely, the consideration of a certain group of people as more similar to animals or objects rather than to human beings; Volpato & Andrighetto, 2015) were considered in the study. Literature (e.g., Valtorta, Baldissarri, Andrighetto, & Volpato, 2019) has demonstrated that objectification and animalization are not linked to the dirtiness of work settings. Therefore, we expected to find the effect of the work environment via disgust only on the biological kind of dehumanizing perception.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 In this study, we considered part of the database obtained from the preliminary study. Remaining data have been considered in Valtorta et al, (2019). 2 Many participants (N = 24) were excluded from the analyses because they failed the manipulation check.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers

Valtorta¹,

Baldissarri²,

Andrighetto³

et al. 2019

rips

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The present studies aim to expand research on dehumanization in the work domain by exploring the biologization-an unexplored form of dehumanization that involves the perception of others as infected and contagious-of physically tainted workers. By integrating the literature on biologization with that of disgust and physically dirty work, we expected that the biologization of workers would be explained by their dirty work environment and by increased feelings of disgust towards them. In Study 1, we showed that focusing on a dirty work environment (vs. on the person performing the work) increased feelings of disgust towards workers and, in turn, their biologization. Coherently, in Study 2, we found that a physically tainted occupation (vs. baseline condition) increased participants' feelings of disgust and biological dehumanization towards the worker. In contrast, a non-physically tainted occupation (vs. baseline condition) had no effects on disgust and biologization. The theoretical and practical implications are considered.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Disgust and Dehumanizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers

Valtorta¹,

Baldissarri²,

Andrighetto³

et al. 2019

rips

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“…The denial of humanness to others is a common phenomenon that occurs in the work domain (e.g., Christoff, 2014;Valtorta, Baldissarri, Andrighetto, & Volpato, 2019). Among the different forms of dehumanization, objectification is perhaps the most relevant in the capitalistic scenario (e.g., Cheney & Carroll, 1997;Islam, 2012;Shields & Grant, 2010;Volpato et al, 2017).…”

Section: Workers' Self-objectificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workers' self‐objectification and tendencies to conform to others

Baldissarri

Andrighetto

Bernardo

et al. 2020

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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Recent research showed that workers' self‐objectification—their self‐perception as objects rather than human beings—leads to detrimental intrapersonal consequences. In the present research, we explored whether this phenomenon may also affect interpersonal relations, by increasing workers' tendencies to conform. In a correlational study, Italian workers who perceived their work as more objectifying self‐objectified more—self‐attributed less human mental states and self‐perceive as more instrument‐like than human‐like—and, in turn, were more inclined to conform with others. The second study experimentally confirmed this pattern, showing that British workers who recalled an objectifying (vs. a non‐objectifying) work experience self‐objectified more. Self‐perception as instrument‐like was associated, in turn, with an increased tendency to adapt to others' opinions. The implications for organizational and social psychology are discussed.

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Burnout and workplace dehumanization at the supermarket: A field study during the COVID‐19 outbreak in Italy

Valtorta

Baldissarri

Volpato

2021

Community & Applied Soc Psy

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This study explores the psychological effects of the COVID‐19 emergency on workers employed in the supermarket sector by analysing their levels of burnout and the relationship between the burnout syndrome and employees' workplace experiences. A sample of 422 Italian workers answered a survey addressing the burnout dimensions (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, and professional inefficacy) along with perceived organizational factors and dehumanizing representations. Results showed that 32% of the respondents had symptoms of severe burnout, and 41% had symptoms of exhaustion and cynicism. More specifically, through cluster analysis, four burnout profiles were identified: “burnout” (high on all three dimensions), “engagement” (low on all three dimensions), “overextended” (high on exhaustion), and “disengaged” (moderate on exhaustion and cynicism). Each cluster showed a different pattern of correlates with the organizational and dehumanizing perceptions. Our findings contribute to the knowledge gaps of burnout and workplace experiences by providing insights into the ongoing health emergency among supermarket clerks. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement .

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Dirty jobs and dehumanization of workers

Cited by 38 publications

References 56 publications

The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers

The Dirty Side of Work: Biologization of Physically Tainted Workers

Workers' self‐objectification and tendencies to conform to others

Burnout and workplace dehumanization at the supermarket: A field study during the COVID‐19 outbreak in Italy

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