Humanizing others reliably blocks cruel behavior even under strong pressure

Evidence

One of the most striking findings of research on the suspension of morality is the extraordinary power of humanization to curb inhumane practices. Whether on the battlefield, in vengeful social relationships, or in the laboratory, people cannot persuade themselves to behave cruelly toward humanized others despite strong social pressure to do so. These findings shed some light on how to cultivate a humane society. Seeing common humanity in others arouses empathy and compassion toward them. It also instills a sense of shared responsibility for the quality of life in a society. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2987

Categorization

• XREF: The inverse mechanism of moral disengagement: if dehumanization licenses cruelty (removing abuse inhibitors, per Bandura’s own account), then humanization removes that license — a symmetric lever relevant to the reader’s vault claims on how people rationalize Islamophobic policy, which depends on the dehumanizing rhetoric being effective. — connects to: Most people refuse cruelty when victims are humanized; Humanization can reverse moral disengagement even amid ongoing combat
• ADDENDUM: Directly relevant to the existing claim set on how ordinary people rationalize supporting harmful policy — this gives the off-ramp: social systems making dehumanization difficult, matching the ritual/social-grounding argument in the author’s sacrifice and trees essays.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2987