Infrahuman outgroup or suprahuman ingroup: The role of nationalism and patriotism in the infrahumanization of outgroups

Previous research has shown that people are more likely to attribute uniquely human emotions to their ingroup than an

outgroup (infrahumanization). In the current research, we examine whether these research findings are an indication of the

infrahumanization of outgroups or the suprahumanization of the ingroup. We examined the role of nationalism and

patriotism in the attribution of secondary emotions to groups. In line with the infrahumanization argument, we obtained a

significant positive relationship between nationalism and the differential attribution of secondary emotions to the ingroup

versus outgroup. In contrast, patriotism was negatively related to the differential attribution of secondary emotions. These

findings indicate that the differential attribution of secondary emotions to the ingroup (vs. outgroup) is an indication of the

derogation or infrahumanization of outgroups.