Objectified conformity: working self-objectification increases conforming behavior

Abstract

The present work explores whether self-objectification triggered by doing peculiar work activities would increase people's conforming behavior. We conducted an experimental study in which participants (N = 140) were asked to perform a high objectifying activity (vs. low objectifying activity vs. baseline condition) simulating a real computer job. Afterwards, their levels of self-objectification and conforming behavior were assessed. Results revealed that participants who performed the high objectifying activity self-objectified (i.e., perceived themselves as lacking human mental states) more than the other conditions and, in turn, conformed more to the judgments of unknown similar others. Crucially, increased self-objectification mediated the effects of the high objectifying activity on enhancing conforming behavior. Theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.

Workers' self‐objectification and tendencies to conform to others

“…Overall, the findings of Study 1 followed our hypothesized pattern. However, unexpectedly, and unlike the results of previous studies (Andrighetto et al, 2018), only the self-objectification dimension of instrumentality seems to be involved in this process. Instead, the dimension of (reduced) self-attribution of mental states was not associated with workers' conformity.…”

“…Therefore, both studies confirmed the key role of self-objectification in predicting greater conformity among workers as a consequence of perceiving a task as objectifying (Study 1) or of recalling an objectifying activity (Study 2). However, unexpectedly and unlike previous evidence (Andrighetto et al, 2018), in both studies, only the instrumental dimension of self-objectification played a significant role, whereas the self-attribution of human mental states was not significantly associated with conformity.…”

“…The hypothesized link between self-objectification and increased conformity has been confirmed across two studies, that involved workers of different nationalities (British and Italian) employed in different occupations. Therefore, the results met the main aim of the present research that was to analyse the relationship between self-objectification and conformity, demonstrated in the lab study of Andrighetto et al (2018), by considering real workers' samples. In Study 1, by adopting a correlational paradigm, we found that workers who perceived their work as more objectifying self-attributed less-human mental states and perceived themselves as more instrument-than human-like.…”

“…In contrast, the previous study by Andrighetto et al (2018), beyond considering a different sample and a short, created ad hoc activity, employed an implicit measure of conformity that focused on an automatic and unaware tendency to conform to the evaluations provided by similar unknown participants. It is plausible that the two dimensions of self-objectification could play different roles in influencing implicit and explicit processes of conformity.…”

“…Preliminary evidence about the effects of self-objectification on conformity in the work domain has been provided by Andrighetto et al (2018), although within a laboratory study that considered only undergraduates. In their study, participants performed, for 20 min, a simulated work computer activity, that depending on the condition, was considered objectifying-repetitive, fragmented and other-directed-or non-objectifying.…”