ABSTRACT
Medical dehumanization has been a hot topic in specialized journals for several decades (e.g., Edwards & Zimet, 1976; Kramer, Ber, & Moore, 1987). Its operationalization was very often the result of an inference (e.g., Leder, 1992), and its measure has been rudimentary most of the time (e.g., Wolf, Randall, Von Almen, & Tynes, 1991). Social psychologists have neglected, or even omitted, this reality, although it is crucial for many people. Who has not stayed a few days in a hospital at least once? The reasons for this inattention would deserve a vast study in itself. Medical dehumanization will be the topic of this chapter.
