Abstract

Research and theorizing suggest that objectification entails perceiving a person not as a human being but,
quite literally, as an object. However, the motive to regard the self as an object is not well understood.
The current research tested the hypothesis that literal self-objectification can serve a terror management
function. From this perspective, the female body poses a unique existential threat on account of its role
in reproduction, and regarding the self as an object is posited to shield women from this threat because
objects, in contrast to humans, are not mortal. Across 5 studies, 3 operationalizations of literal
self-objectification were employed (a denial of essentially human traits to the self, overlap in the explicit
assignment of traits to the self and objects, and implicit associations between self and objects using an
implicit association test) in response to 3 aspects of women’s bodies involved in reproduction (pregnancy,
menstruation, and breastfeeding). In each study, priming mortality led women (but not men,
included in Studies 1, 3, 4, and 5) to literally self-objectify in conditions where women’s reproductive
features were salient. In addition, literal self-objectification was found to mediate subsequent responsiveness
to death-related stimuli (Study 4). Together, these findings are the first to demonstrate a direct
link between mortality salience, women’s role in reproduction, and their self-objectification, supporting
an existential function of self-objectification in women.