The concept of what psychologically constitutes a human being is not so obvious anymore when regarded from the perspective of mental space psychology. A personification is a psychological file that receives it social/relational meaning from the location in mental space where this file (image) is projected. As soon as this idea is applied to relational issues, change becomes fast and easy.
Not all “personifications” represent living human beings. Spirits, gods and entities can be created along the same principles, as demonstrated in magical rituals.
PDF: Personification Chapter by Lucas Derks (left-click to open in new window, right click to download)