Companion Animals and Theories of Human-Animal Relationships PDF

0 Companion animals and theories of Human-Animal relationships 0 1 Companion animals • • • • Companion: companion1 n 1. a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade b:one employed to live with and serve another c: A person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom...

0 Companion animals and theories of Human-Animal relationships 0 1 Companion animals • • • • Companion: companion1 n 1. a person who is an associate of another or others; comrade b:one employed to live with and serve another c: A person or animal with whom one spends a lot of time or with whom one travels • 2. (esp. formerly) an employee, usually a woman, who provides company for an employer, esp. an elderly woman • 3. a. one of a pair; match • 4. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a guidebook or handbook • 5. (History / Heraldry) a member of the lowest rank of any of certain orders of knighthood • 6. (Astronomy) Astronomy the fainter of the two components of a double star 0 2 1 0 Companion animals • The ASPCA believes that companion animals should be domesticated or domestic-bred animals whose __________,_________, needs can be readily met as companions in the home, or in close daily relationship with humans. • What Species are suitable? • What species are unsuitable? 0 3 Dog Parrot Savannah cat 0 4 2 0 Human-Animal Bond Def: American Veterinary Medical Association • The human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors that are essential to the health and well-being of both. This includes, but is not limited to, emotional, psychological, and physical interactions of people, animals, and the environment. 0 5 Human-Animal Bond Argus Institute (Univ. of Colorado) Def: • A dynamic relationship between people and other animals that can be mutually beneficial, but can also create negative consequences for both. The nature and strength of the bond is influenced by both human and animal behaviors, as well as by animals' health status and peoples' life circumstances. The benefits and consequences include, but are not limited to, influences to the emotional, psychological, and physical health and well-being of both 0 6 3 0 Theorem (Theory) vs Hypothesis good theory and good scientific inquiry 0 7 4 ways to generate theories (Similarities or not?) • Inductive theory: Data base generated from related studies is formed into ‘general relationships’ that is used to develop new theoretical principles: • Deductive theory: observations that generate new research. This data (new observations) test any previous theories, and if the data does not support the original theory, the original theory is modified. 0 8 4 0 4 ways to generate theories (Similarities or not?) • Functional theory: A combination of inductive and deductive theories: • Model theory: the observations (phenomenon currently studied) is analogous to some ‘other’ concept identified in another field (physics, chemistry, engineering) • i.e. - eye compared to a camera 0 9 Experimental design: Different results • Studies need to be designed well with ‘specific questions’ addressed • Or outcomes can be contradictory: • Example: pets are burden to rural farm women • Example: pets help men emotionally in service-related employment 0 10 5 0 Theories: Human-Animal Bond • Biophilia (E.O Wilson; 1983) • Social Support • Self Psychology 0 11 Biophilia • The human tendency to relate with life and natural process might be an expression of biological need. • Its adaptive • Biophilia hypothesis: human dependence on nature extends far beyond simple material and physical sustenance... encompass the human craving for aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual meaning and satisfaction ( 0 12 6 0 Biophilia (Assertions) • Human inclination to affiliate with life: 1. Inherent (biological based), part of evolutionary process 2. Competitive advantages (genetic fitness) 3. Provides meaning and fulfillment 4. Interested to maintain care of nature and its biodiversity 0 13 Social Support • Animals are a source of companionship and is important for the sense of well being and security • The animals are part of our community • Influence of pets: friendship, unconditional love, an attachment to the community • The animals (pets in particular) provides options for people to attach, nurture and further develop networks for social interactions 0 14 7 0 Self Psychology • Self Psychology Theory (an offshoot psychoanalytical theory): 2 parts; self and selfobject • Self: the psychological structure of a person's personality; involved in self-esteem, well being and general personality cohesiveness: • Selfobject: objects (things, people, experiences ideas) from ‘environmental surroundings’ is needed to maintain a healthy ‘self’. • Importantly: to be considered an ‘object’ it must modify or maintain the inner experience of self. To be an object alone (i.e. religion) is not an object unless it impacts self psychological experience. • The tendency to rely on selfobjects by individuals can be intense and crucial to the sense of well being • Animals are considered objects (i.e. selfobject) 0 15 3 Types of Selfobjects • Mirror selfobject: provides self with recognition, affirmation and confirmation, in the context of goodness, grandness and wholeness • Idealizable selfobjects: and admired and respected selfobject: a wise powerful calm protector • Alter-ego selfobjects: having the likeness of another self 0 16 8 0 Selfobject: Which one? • Jody leaned over to drink. The fawn, following, drank with him, sucking up the water and moving its mouth up and down the length of the trough. At one moment its head was against Jody’s cheek and he sucked in the water with the same sound as the fawn, for the sake of companionship. He lifted his head and shook it and wiped his mouth. The fawn lifted its head too, and water dripped from its muzzle 0 17 Selfobject: Which one? • In the privacy of her room, Hilary conducted poetry readings in which her dog was the enthusiastic audience. The dog sat attentively through the readings, and when Hilary enthusiastically asked, “Did you like it?” the dog would wag her tail, lick her mistress, and jump up and down 0 18 9 0 Selfobject: Which one? • ...Hilary revealed that she had spent a great deal of time training them in obedience classes and entering them in professionally judged competitions. 0 19 Collecting: pathology? • Collecting ‘things’ is widely accepted normative and accepted behavior: • Egosyntonic leisure activity that provides psychological benefit to its participant • Industry uses our collecting behavior to its advantage (i.e. collectables and memorabilia) • So when or is it ever a pathology? 0 20 10 0 Human-Animal Bond: pathology? • Mental Illness (disorder) • Hoarders: Hoarder Disorder: relatively new term (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) • Previously • OCD • OCPD • dementia 0 21 OCD • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): is an anxiety disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts that produce uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry, by repetitive behaviors aimed at reducing the associated anxiety, or by a combination of such obsessions and compulsions 0 22 11 0 OCPD • Obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency 0 23 Animal Hoarders 1. Accumulate large numbers of animals and obsessively attempts to continue collecting animals even in the presence of continually deteriorating of household conditions 2. Fails to provide nutrition sanitation and veterinary care. Inability to recognize the effect of failed welfare on the animals , members of the household and environment (denial of living poor conditions). 3. Consider their pets as surrogate children and no other individuals can adequately care of them 4. Harbor a fear that the animals will be euthanized 24 12 0 Who is the Hoarder • Anyone can be a hoarder, but.... • Demographics: • Women - middle age or older • Living alone –retired, unemployed, disabled • House often has no appliances and can be in disrepair 0 25 Animal Hoarding • Hoarding is at once a complex animal cruelty issue, mental health issue and public safety issue (ASPCA 2012) 0 Animal Breeder vs Animal Hoarder • Can an Animal Hoarder be an Animal Breeder or can an Animal Breeder be an Animal Hoarder? 26 13 0 Animal Abuse: Violence: link The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970s, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children 0 27 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Philippe Pinel (1806): French physician, (developed more humane treatment of psychiatric patients) • Coined the diagnostic term: “Mania without Delirium”. A predecessor to: antisocial personality disorder • His case study: A very violent man with a history of against people and animals eventually killed a person 28 0 14 0 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Conduct disorder: is a psychological disorder diagnosed in childhood that presents itself through a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate norms are violated • Usually called antisocial behavior and a precursor to ‘Antisocial personality disorder’ • People (children): display a combination of lack of inhibitory control (impulsivity -thrill seeking and anger) and lack of empathic or emotional arousal (callous or unemotional traits), extraverted • Temperamental characteristics: associated animal cruelty 0 29 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Observations: • Family violence, sexual abuse, substance abuse other child maltreatment (a collections that express into many dysfunctional behaviours) and can manifest to animal cruelty • Thus: animal cruelty is an indicator of family violence or family problems 30 15 0 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Children seeing parents abuse animals • Why are parents abusing animals? 0 31 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Demographics: • Parents with lower education • Animal cruelty (anonymous survey): 10% male +7% female admit to animal cruelty • Association between adolescent animal and violent crime: assault, rape, murder: abuse males that demonstrate animal cruelty: 5.3x to have a violent criminal record S 0 32 16 0 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Demographics (cont.) General Traits • Score high: Criminal thinking • Bully: perpetuating physical bullying and victimizing people • Power Orientation (control) : Need to control situations • Lack empathy 0 33 Animal Abuse: Violence: link • Demographics (cont.) • As compared to male counter parts: Females vs female controls : scored higher criminal thinking, bullying, and Power Orientation • Scored lower: empathy 0 34 17 0 • Albert Disalvo (better known as the Boston Strangler) used to trap dogs and cats as a child and then shoot them with arrows. • Edward Emil Kemper lll was convicted of killing eight women, one of which was his own mother. When he was thirteen yrs. old he would kill neighborhood cats and put their heads on poles. Kemper killed his own cat, decapitated it and then cut it into small pieces. This is the same thing he did to his own mother! • David Berkowitz was convicted of thirteen murders and attempted murders. He used to abuse the neighborhood dogs. He shot one neighbors dog because according to him, the dog was an "evil force" that compelled him to kill. • Ted Bundy was convicted of two murders though he was suspected of at least forty. Bundy used to watch as his own father tortured animals. Eventually, Bundy did the same. • Andrew Cunanan was the man who killed designer Versace and was suspected in the murders of five other people. Cunanan used to gather crabs and then burn their eyes out with a lighted match. He would watch their eyes sizzle then turn them loose. 0 35 18