THEORY OF MIND AND INTERPERSONAL OBJECTIFICATION: REHUMANIZING RELATIONSHIPS IN TIMES OF SCARCITY

Contemporary societies are experiencing an alarming erosion of social connection and a progressive commodification of interpersonal relationships. Within this context, interpersonal objectification — the tendency to perceive and treat others as instruments or objects rather than as beings endowed with thoughts, emotions, and intrinsic worth — has become increasingly pervasive across multiple social domains. Despite its profound implications for well-being and social cohesion, surprisingly little is known about the psychological processes that protect against this dehumanizing tendency or the contextual forces that exacerbate it. This doctoral research investigates two complementary dimensions of this phenomenon: the role of Theory of Mind (ToM)—the ability to understand others’ mental and emotional states—as a protective psychological factor against interpersonal objectification, and the role of scarcity as a contextual antecedent that promotes interpersonal objectification, while examining whether ToM can mitigate objectification even under conditions of scarcity. These aims were addressed through nine preregistered studies (Ntotal = 3147) employing cross-sectional, experimental, and research-intervention designs, across diverse populations varying in age and nationality. The studies were organized into two integrated research parts. Part 1 (Studies 1, 2a, 2b, and 3; Raguso et al., 2025a) established ToM as a robust and causally relevant buffer against interpersonal objectification. In particular, Study 1 (N = 300) documented first consistent negative associations between multiple ToM measures and objectifying tendencies. Studies 2a and 2b (N = 197 and 465) showed that stable individual differences in ToM predicted lower objectification, even though brief experimental ToM activations were insufficient to elicit reductions. Study 3 (N = 87 children) provided causal evidence through a four-week school-based intervention: enhancing children’s ToM abilities reliably decreased their tendency to objectify others across diverse measures. Part 2 (Studies 4, 5a, 5b, 6, and 7; Raguso et al., 2025b) broadened the focus to contextual influences, examining how scarcity—a psychological state of perceived insufficient resources—shapes interpersonal objectification and ToM. Study 4 (N = 289) demonstrated correlational links between perceived scarcity and heightened objectification. Studies 5a and 5b (N = 505 and 465) showed that brief online scarcity manipulations produced no measurable effects, suggesting that scarcity’s impact emerges primarily when it is experienced as genuine and enduring. Study 6 (N = 454) confirmed a causal effect using a realistic scenario based on a recent blackout, with participants in high-scarcity conditions reporting markedly higher objectification. Finally, Study 7 (N = 385) identified the cognitive pathways through which scarcity operates: rather than exerting direct effects, scarcity was driven by perceived inequality and increased objectification via attentional tunneling on money and a heightened present-focused mindset. Notably, while perceived inequality unexpectedly enhanced ToM, scarcity undermined it, revealing a complex interplay in which the net effect on interpersonal objectification depends on the balance between these opposing processes. Taken together, these findings advance an integrated theoretical framework in which interpersonal objectification arises from the interaction of individual cognitive capacities and contextual pressures. At the individual level, ToM safeguards against objectification by enabling recognition of others’ psychological depth. At the contextual level, scarcity fosters objectification through cognitive narrowing while simultaneously eroding the very human capacities that could counteract it. In the final section of the work, the theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, highlighting how they contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between psychological processes and structural inequalities in contemporary societies.