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Overview

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman entities, objects, or concepts. In writing, it can create ambiguity or misleading communication.

Why Avoid It?

  • Maintains clarity in academic writing.
  • Prevents confusion about who or what is performing an action.
  • Aligns with APA style guidelines.

Identifying and Revising Anthropomorphism

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Problematic Usage

 The study concluded that increased screen time contributed to children's inability to perform higher-order cognitive tasks.

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This phrasing suggests that the study, an inanimate object, can draw conclusions.

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Possible Revision

The researchers concluded that increased screen time contributed to children's inability to perform higher-order cognitive tasks.

lightbulbBy changing "The study concluded" to "The researchers concluded," we're correctly attributing the action to the humans who performed the analysis and drew the conclusions. This is more accurate and aligns with APA guidelines for avoiding anthropomorphism.

Exceptions

There are some commonly accepted phrases that include anthropomorphism but don’t lead to confusion.

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Organizations


Organizations, as groups of people, can take some human-like actions.

Groups that could fall into the exception include:

  • Companies
  • Hospitals
  • Schools
  • and Professional Organizations

Examples

  • The school board voted to require school uniforms.
  • The hospital implemented new procedures regarding RN staffing requirements.

However, avoid ascribing actions to entire organizations when it is important to understand which specific people within the organization performed the action.

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Problematic Usage

The factory walked out on strike.

 

 

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The reader might wonder who in the factory was involved in this event. Was it all employees?

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Possible Revision

All nonmanagement employees of the factory walked out on strike.

 

 

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By stating that “all nonmanagement employees” were involved in this strike, we have provided more clarity for the reader about who was involved in this event.

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Theories, Studies, Results


Phrases like “the study found” are common when discussing elements of research.

Verbs that can be used in these cases without creating confusion include:

  • Address
  • Contribute
  • Find
  • Focus on
  • Indicate
  • Present
  • Provide
  • Show
  • Suggest

See APA 7, Section 4.11 for more information.

However, other kinds of actions can be unclear when paired with theories, studies, results, and other aspects of research.

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Problematic Usage

The theory concluded that transformational leadership style influences follower job satisfaction.

 

 

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The reader might wonder who in the factory was involved in this event. Was it all employees?

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Possible Revision

The theorists concluded that transformational leadership style influences follower job satisfaction

 

 

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By changing "The theory concluded” to “The theorists concluded," we're correctly attributing the action to the humans who performed the work and came to these conclusions. This is more accurate and clearer for the reader.

Key Takeaways

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