## **What is dehumanizing language?**
Words that hurt aren't always loud or obvious. Throughout history, people have used dehumanizing language, whether in political discourse, during times of war, or even in casual conversations. It's often been used to justify unfair treatment or to make it easier to ignore someone's pain. It strips people of their dignity, individuality, and humanity.
>Dehumanization happens when people deny others their mental states, emotions, or capacity for complex thought.
Social psychology identifies this phenomenon as a way people create psychological separation between themselves and different groups, making it easier to justify poor treatment or neglect (Harris & Fiske, 2011). You can see it in violent behaviour, human trafficking, and other forms of inhumane treatment, where people are not even considered humans who deserve dignity and respect.
In the medical context, they can appear in chart notes, hallway talk, or even during rushed patient check-ins. Some phrases seem harmless, but reduce a person to a problem or label. While research suggests that in healthcare, dehumanization can be a provider's coping mechanism with emotional stress, sometimes helping performance, it also risks harm, especially for stigmatized patients (Hoogendoorn & Rodríguez, 2023). Managing this requires balancing the emotional needs of both patients and providers.
This kind of language not only affects patients. It can also be directed at healthcare providers. Staff may be described as “just a nurse,” overlooking their experience, emotions, and the daily pressures they face. Empathy reduction becomes evident. Dehumanization can go both ways, especially in high-stress environments where everyone is under strain.
Understanding human nature can help us understand why dehumanization occurs. When faced with suffering, complex cases, or resource limitations, providers might unconsciously distance themselves emotionally. However, recognizing this tendency allows for more intentional communication that preserves dignity and compassion.
## **Examples of dehumanizing language**
Recognizing dehumanizing language is the first step toward creating a more respectful and humane treatment in a healthcare environment. Here are some examples to help you recognize such:
### **Labeling patients by their condition**
When you refer to someone by their diagnosis instead of their name, it can make them feel like they're just a disease, not a whole person. This kind of blatant dehumanization or dehumanizing rhetoric takes away the reality that patients are human beings with full lives, fears, and hopes.
- Examples: “The diabetic in Room 3,” “That schizophrenic,” “She's a cancer case.”
### **Using judgmental or blaming terms**
Language that places blame, whether on a patient for their health or a staff member for struggling, can be damaging. This form of dehumanized perception can single people out as part of a targeted group, especially when stigma is involved.
- Examples: “Non-compliant,” “Drug seeker,” “They just don't care.”
The COVID-19 pandemic also provides a stark contemporary example of this. Research documents how Asian and Asian American individuals became targets of both verbal and physical attacks due to the virus's geographic origins. The dehumanizing rhetoric used during this period, including references to the "China virus" by public figures, demonstrates how language can quickly transform from describing a medical phenomenon to targeting entire ethnic groups (Markowitz et al., 2021).
### **Describing people as burdens**
Sometimes, frustration manifests as labels that make people seem like problems. These phrases appear in various forms, often without noticing, but they can chip away at respect and compassion.
- Examples: “Frequent flyer,” “Train wreck,” “Why are they here again?”
### **Talking about people like they're objects**
In fast-paced settings, it's easy to talk about people in shorthand. But when someone becomes “a case” or “a body,” it builds emotional distance and erases their humanity.
- Examples: “The hip in 12,” “A liver just came in,” “That code blue.”
### **Dismissing people with minimizing labels**
Words like “just” or “too emotional” might seem harmless, but they can cut deep. When people feel dismissed or belittled, it affects connection, trust, and overall care.
- Examples: “Drama queen,” “Attention-seeking,” “Just overreacting.”
## **Impact of dehumanizing language**
People may use dehumanizing language to cope or create emotional distance from difficult situations. But even if it's unintentional, the impact is real. Here are some of its specific effects that can damage trust and affect care quality:
### **It damages patient trust and treatment outcomes**
When patients feel dehumanized, it can harm how they see themselves and how they relate to their healthcare providers. This often results in poor communication, reduced satisfaction with care, and less willingness to follow medical advice (Hoogendoorn & Rodríguez, 2023). Over time, this can lead to relapse, worsened health outcomes, and disengagement from treatment entirely.
### **It harms patient dignity and emotional well-being**
Using degrading, overly simplistic, or aggressive language, especially with vulnerable populations, can strip away a person's sense of dignity. Even when unintentional, these moments leave lasting emotional impacts and weaken the therapeutic relationship (Lekka et al., 2022).
Patients may feel hurt, disrespected, or seen as less than human, which affects the quality of care.
### **It reinforces stigma and influences provider bias**
Stigmatizing language doesn't just affect how patients feel. It also shapes how providers think and act. When healthcare professionals are exposed to biased language in medical notes, they can form negative attitudes, contribute to moral exclusion, and make different clinical decisions (Daswani et al., 2025). This kind of bias, transmitted through everyday words, can reduce access to appropriate treatment and worsen patient outcomes.
## **Importance of avoiding dehumanizing language**
How we speak about patients, colleagues, or ourselves can either support connection or quietly cause harm. Language shapes not only how we communicate but also how we think, treat, and care. Here's why we should avoid dehumanizing language:
- **It supports safer, more trusting relationships**: Respectful language helps build trust and open communication between patients and providers. When people feel seen and heard, they're more likely to share concerns and follow through with care.
- **It improves decision-making and care qualit**y: When providers use clear, human-centered language, it helps reduce bias and promote better clinical decisions. It keeps the focus on the whole person, not just their condition.
- **It protects dignity for both patients and providers**: Using thoughtful language honors the humanity of everyone involved in care. It creates a healthier, more respectful environment for the people receiving care and the teams delivering it.
People can create space for healing, trust, and better outcomes by being intentional with their words.
## **How to promote respectful language?**
Respectful language creates a foundation for compassionate care. Here are some simple but practical ways to promote respectful language:
- Encourage active listening to understand patient concerns and perspectives better.
- Model respectful communication by setting an example for colleagues and patients alike.
- Provide ongoing training on the use of inclusive language to promote awareness and understanding.
- Hold team members accountable for using respectful language in all interactions.
- Promote a culture of empathy and dignity through continuous support and education.
- Create clear communication guidelines to ensure consistent and respectful language use.
- Promote regular feedback sessions to discuss language and improve communication skills.
An environment where thoughtful language is the norm can lead to stronger relationships, better patient outcomes, and a more positive healthcare experience for everyone involved.
## **Main takeaways**
>A small shift in language can lead to a big shift in care.
When healthcare professionals use dehumanizing language, it undermines the dignity and respect that patients deserve. Avoiding such language facilitates trust, empathy, and better communication. It also helps reduce stigma, improve care quality, and encourage positive patient outcomes. By choosing words that respect the humanity of those they serve, providers create an environment where patients and colleagues feel valued.
### **References**
Daswani, S., Gorecki, E., & Mellon, L. (2025). “You're not taught to think about the words you use and then it just perpetuates”— a qualitative examination of medical students' perspectives of stigmatising language in healthcare. BMC Medical Education, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06690-1
Harris, L. T., & Fiske, S. T. (2011). Dehumanized perception: A psychological means to facilitate atrocities, torture, and genocide?. Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 219(3), 175–181. https://doi.org/10.1027/2151-2604/a000065
Hoogendoorn, C. J., & Rodríguez, N. D. (2023). Rethinking dehumanization, empathy, and burnout in healthcare contexts. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 52, 101285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2023.101285
Lekka, D., Lekka, D., Madoglou, A., Karamanoli, V. I., Yotsidi, V., Alexias, G., Orlandou, K., Karakasidou, E., & Stalikas, A. (2022). Hospital settings and dehumanization: Systematic review. Psychology, 13(5), 734–742. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2022.135048
Markowitz, D. M., Shoots-Reinhard, B., Peters, E., Silverstein, M. C., Goodwin, R., & Bjälkebring, P. (2021). Dehumanization during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.634543
