Definition
When individuals or groups of people are described or treated as different and separate.
The bigger picture
A lot of the language used with and about people in social work and social care can be described as ‘othering’, implying older people or disabled people are different and inferior. For example, talking about ‘them’ or ‘those’ rather than ‘us’ or ‘we’ or ‘people’, or references to ‘the disabled’ or ‘the vulnerable’. This language separates, excludes and dehumanises people, and can mean that people are not recognised as equal and valuable human beings, and are excluded from conversations and decisions. This may mean people’s human rights are not respected or upheld, and the dehumanisation linked to othering can lead to discrimination and abuse.
Saying it differently
Always use language that recognises and respects people as equal, valuable human beings. Avoid dehumanising, blanket labels that imply some people are different to the rest of ‘us’.
What people say
“We know that when you see people like you, you are least likely to treat them less favourably than you would treat yourself. And that would be always my take away. If we see people as we see ourselves, we don’t do the horrible things that human beings can do to each other. Be unkind. Be disrespectful. All of those kind of things, to the extremes of how you end up murdering groups of people as you dehumanise them, you use language to create othering.” – Isaac Samuels