Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The show that makes you laugh, think, and occasionally uncomfortable. The Last Show with David Cooper. We're told not to treat people like objects. Makes sense, but apparently some people didn't get the memo because a new study finds entitlement and exploitative personalities, people with them, are far more likely to see others that they interact with as basically tools.
I'm here with someone who worked on that study. She is an organizational psychology professor at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland, and her name is Jolanta Babiak. Jolanta, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me here. The word objectify, to objectify someone else. I've heard that phrase thrown around a lot, but I don't know that I know an exact definition.
So how would a psychologist define somebody objectifying someone? What does it look like in everyday life? Okay, that's a very important question and we all should understand it.
Chapter 2: What does it mean to treat people like objects?
Now, Objectifying someone means treating that person as an object.
Chapter 3: How do entitled personalities view others?
In other words, useful could be also thought of as interchangeable, even ownable. However, at the same time, not as subject, which means denying that person subjectivity, agency, even autonomy. So that's more or less general definition or definition by itself of the general tendency to objectify others. And so your research, it looks into who treats others that way.
What kind of personality traits would I have if I treated people or I objectified them is a better way to say it. Right, right, right. Well, yes, there are some people who are more likely to objectify others. These individuals are strongly focused on themselves, okay? On pursuing their own interests and obviously on achieving their own goals. But there's nothing wrong with that, right?
We always, we want to pursue our own goals and we're interested in our business, right? Now, however, with that objectifier sees other people through the lens of their mere usefulness. That means... that they treat them instrumentally as tools in order to achieve their goals, right? So objectifier would secure his or her interest through treating others as tools through this lens.
Now, with the strong focus on themselves, they feel entitled, they feel or they have this sense of entitlement, meaning that they feel they're better, that they believe that they do deserve more than others. So, they have a greater claim for attention, effort from others or resources, okay? Now, that leads or that is That means the instrumental treatment of others.
With that entitlement comes exploitativeness. Now, with exploitativeness, people basically use to the max the resources of others. And now we have the entire picture of objectification. Because we treat others as tools, I want to use you because I have an interest of pursuing my goal, okay, achieving my own success, but I also need to exploit you so you serve me, okay?
So there we have like two underpinnings of objectification, treating people as objects and treating them not as subjects. Now, why might we do this? Is it because it's like psychologically convenient? Is it just easier to have a social life if we objectify people? Is it easier to get things done at work? Is there any benefit to objectifying people? Well, your first question, why might we do it?
Well, if someone's personality profile is such that someone is more prone to objectify others, I mean, she or he would do it by the virtue of having that tendency. Obviously, our lives are such that every day we want to achieve something. Our days are full with tasks, different obligations, so we do it. But imagine in professional life, imagine at work.
Obviously, we have to show to our boss or whoever that we do provide, that we do create added value to the organization, obviously. Now, if I objectify other people or one person, right, then I will be able, let's say, to contribute and to succeed faster, better for my own benefit than other people.
If anyone's listening and they're sort of hearing what you're saying and thinking, maybe I treat people this way, or perhaps I don't want to treat people this way, is there a way to stop objectifying others? Are there personality traits that I could try to cultivate to objectify people less? Yes, especially the trait or the tendency to reciprocate. Objectifiers do not reciprocate.
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