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The link between humans and other animals: We need to discuss our relationship

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Javier López-Cepero Borrego at University of Seville
Javier López-Cepero Borrego
Alicia Español at University of Seville
Alicia Español
Ángel Rodríguez Banda at University of Seville
Ángel Rodríguez Banda
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Abstract

The presence of non-human animals in Spanish homes has registered a sustained increase over the past few decades, and their status within families has risen to the point where they are considered full-fledged members. However, these social transformations have given rise to debates about the limits of interspecies relationships. These debates are reproduced at different levels of analysis. From a social and cultural perspective, the literature shows inconsistencies between the status and guarantees granted to various animal species, which do not appear to correlate with their cognitive and emotional abilities. In terms of the home, research finds numerous examples of difficulties in integrating companion animals into family dynamics, including the choice of terms, limits of reciprocity, and respect for the ethology of dogs, cats, and other animals. Finally, events such as death are receiving increasing attention, framed within the field of comparative thanatology. This presentation reviews the current state of these debates, presenting information extracted from various studies conducted on the Spanish population over the past few years. The presentation will highlight especially those aspects in which omparative psychology plays a relevant role in the development of multi-species families.
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The link between humans and other animals:
We need to discuss our relationship
Javier López-Cepero, Alicia Español & Ángel Rodríguez-Banda
XXXIV International Conference of the Spanish Society for Comparative Psychology
Human-animal interactions
Importance of the relationship between species
Coevolution
Different statuses... even for the same species
Paradox: present but invisible
Anthropomorphism Anthopodenial / Anthropectomy
Human-animal interactions
Anthrozoology as an interdisciplinary field
Growth in recent decades
Specialized magazines
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100
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PAPERS BY YEAR
(HAI/HAB, PSYCINFO)
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100
New terms
(AAT)
Cohabitating multispecies families
In Spain, 40% of households include animals (ANFAAC, 2021)
There are more animals than minors (INE, 2022)
Mostly, dogs and cats
Most studies speak of "family members“
Diversity of labels (and discourses)
Furry babies, multispecies families, non-only-human families…
Pets, family dog/cat
Cohabitating multispecies families
ANIFAM Project
Interviews with 13 participants
Thematic analysis (qualitative)
Humanization at the center
Social norms and boundaries
Personal identity
Perceptions about animals
The boundaries of the concept of family:
animals fit into human families,
or there are multispecies families?
Some paradoxes about “loving animals”
Rights and treatment depend on the status recognized
Folk taxonomies (López-Cepero et al., 2021; Taylor & Signal, 2009):
Pet
Pest
Profit (feeding, research, etc.)
Relies on cultural background (Gray & Young, 2011)
Death and bereavement for non-human animals
Reactions similar to those described for other losses
General population: 64% grief, 36% anger; 40% guilt (López-Cepero et al., 2024a)
Also matches diagnosis criteria: prolonged grief (APA, 2013; Lee, 2020)
Grief is not socially recognized (disefranchised grief)
Veterinary and Volunteering: compassion fatigue (López-Cepero et al., 2024b)
Next step:
compared thanatology
(?)
Key ideas on human-animal interactions
Gather increasing attention
Generates social interest
Explain dilemmas and unresolved debates
Animals have no agency
Beloved animals... but used!
It has diverse implications
Animalize humans?
Social changes
Humanizing animals
Comparative Psychology
References
Gray, P. B., & Young, S. M. (2011). Human-pet dynamics in
cross-cultural perspective. Anthrozoos, 24(1), 17–30.
https://doi.org/10.2752/175303711X12923300467285
Instituto Nacional de Estadística. (2024). Encuesta de
población activa.
https://www.ine.es/dyngs/INEbase/es/categoria.htm?c=Es
tadistica_P&cid=1254735976595
Lee, S. A. (2020). Does the DSM-5 grief disorder apply to
owners of deceased pets? A psychometric study of
impairment during pet loss. Psychiatry Research, 285,
112800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.112800
López-Cepero, J., Ferrer, M., Mori, M., & Español, A. (2024).
Companion animal bereavement: Psychometric
properties of the Spanish version of the Pet Bereavement
Questionnaire. Death Studies, 1–7.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2024.2363477
López-Cepero, J., Garcia-Martínez, J., Martos-Montes, R., &
Rivera, F. (2024). Bereavement for companion animals:
Intensity, moderating variables, and effects on wellbeing.
Journal of Loss and Trauma.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15325024.2024.2324284
López-Cepero, J., Martos-Montes, R., & Ordóñez, D. (2021).
Classification of Animals as Pet, Pest, or Profit:
Consistency and Associated Variables Among Spanish
University Students. Anthrozoös, 34(6), 877–888.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2021.1938408
Monsó, S. (2021). La zarigüeya de Schrödinger: Cómo viven y
entienden la muerte los animales. Plaza y Valdés.
Taylor, N., & Signal, T. D. (2009). Pet, pest, profit: Isolating
differences in attitudes towards the treatment of animals.
Anthrozoos, 22(2), 129–135.
https://doi.org/10.2752/175303709X434158
Veterindustria, & ANFAAC. (2021). Censos por especies en
España. https://www.anfaac.org/datos-sectoriales/
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION
The link between humans and other animals:
We need to discuss our relationship
Javier López-Cepero, Alicia Español & Ángel Rodríguez-Banda
XXXIV International Conference of the Spanish Society for Comparative Psychology
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
Companion animal bereavement: Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire
Article
Full-text available
  • Jul 2024
This work provides psychometric data on the validity and reliability of the Spanish adaptation of the Pet Bereavement Questionnaire (PBQ), as well as information on the intensity of bereavement in the Spanish population. The study evaluated 333 Spanish participants of legal age (M = 31.5; SD = 11.6), mostly women (76.3%). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the adequacy of three different structures present in literature, finding better fit indexes for a model that kept the original three-factor structure (grief, guilt, and anger) but rearranged 2 of the 16 items. Around 70% of participants reported signs of intense bereavement on the grief scale, with higher means among women. The results confirm adequate psychometric qualities of the PBQ, offering healthcare professionals a tool to evaluate bereavement intensity after the loss of a companion animal in Spanish samples.
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Bereavement for Companion Animals: Intensity, Moderating Variables, and Effects on Wellbeing
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2024
This study examines the intensity of grieving experienced by volunteers from animal protection organizations in southern Spain. A total of 130 volunteers (86% female; M = 42.0 years) reported on their reactions to loss following the death of animals under their care, levels of empathy, anthropomorphism, and attachment experienced toward these animals, received social support, and overall health status. The results showed that 65.5% of participants displayed signs of general complicated grieving (83% on the grief scale; 40% on the anger scale; 47% on the guilt scale). The intensity of grief was associated with higher symptomatology (linear polynomial ANOVA, **p < .01). The linear regression analysis revealed a relationship between attachment levels, anthropomorphism, empathy, family support (inverse), and the intensity of grieving experienced (*p < .05). Taken together, these findings indicate the existence of complicated mourning reactions among volunteer staff in animal protection organizations, justifying the development of specific prevention programs.
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Human-Pet Dynamics in Cross-Cultural Perspective
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2011
Pets increasingly serve the function as emotional surrogates of children, with tremendous resources poured into their care. However, this function of pets may be quite different from the typical human-pet dynamics characterizing a wider array of societies. To help fill a gap in the cross-cultural understanding of pets, we employed the probability sample of the electronic Human Relations Area Files (eHRAF), covering 60 societies, to code for various features of human-pet dynamics. The findings revealed that dogs are the most commonly kept pets, followed by birds, cats, and other animals including horses, rodents, and reptiles. Dogs, cats, and other pets frequently served valuable functions such as aiding in hunting and pest removal. Birds, dogs, and some other pets also served as playthings, particularly the young of these animals and for the enjoyment of human children. Feeding, sleeping, and positive and negative interactions varied across societies and pets. Dogs, cats, birds, and other pets were frequently killed—and sometimes eaten—and dogs frequently subject to physical abuse. These data illustrate both similarities and differences cross-culturally in human-pet dynamics as well as many stark contrasts with how pets such as dogs in the US are treated today.
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Classification of Animals as Pet, Pest, or Profit: Consistency and Associated Variables Among Spanish University Students
Article
  • Jun 2021
The present study analyzes the effectiveness (exhaustivity and mutual exclusivity) of a taxonomy for classifying animals into the categories of pet, pest, and profit (PPP), as well as variables that affect the classification assigned to the different species. A total of 463 university students (Mean age = 21.07 years; SD = 4.15), mainly female (87%), classified 14 animal species into the PPP categories and answered questionnaire assessments of personality, anthropomorphism, and attitudes toward the wellbeing of animals. On average, the different species were classified into a single PPP category in 71% of the cases (maximum 95% for dogs, and minimum 27% for chimpanzees), with 8% having multiple classifications (15% for horses and pigs, 21% for rabbits), and 21% being unclassified. Women used the profit category less than men (p < 0.05; g = 0.33). Attitudes toward animals, anthropomorphism, and conscientiousness presented significant correlations (p < 0.05) with the use of PPP categories. Finally, logistic regression analyses showed that these variables had a limited yet significative effect in predicting the classification of horses as either pet or profit (explained variance = 8%) and the classification of snakes as pet or pest (explained variance = 9%), but no effect on the classification of bees as pest or profit. The fact that 29% of the cases received multiple or null classifications indicates the need for caution when considering conclusions drawn from studies based on the PPP taxonomy. Personality, anthropomorphism, sex, and attitudes toward animals’ wellbeing had only a small effect on the classification of animals, but they revealed possible mechanisms for developing interventions to raise awareness about the treatment of animals.
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Does the DSM-5 Grief Disorder apply to Owners of Deceased Pets? A Psychometric Study of Impairment during Pet Loss
Article
  • Jan 2020
  • PSYCHIAT RES
This study aimed to validate the DSM-5 grief disorder construct to owners of deceased pets using a sample of 395 adults who were impaired during bereavement. Confirmatory factor analyzes indicated that the grief symptoms cohered into the symptom clusters proposed by the DSM-5, which were driven by a higher-order factor and were equivalent across gender. Grief disordered individuals exhibited more depression, loneliness, sleep difficulties, negative religious coping, and alcohol/drug coping compared to the rest of the sample. These findings support the application of the DSM-5 model of grief to owners of deceased pets.
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Pet, Pest, Profit: Isolating Differences in Attitudes towards the Treatment of Animals
Article
  • Jun 2009
Despite the increasing interest in, and scope of, human-animal studies, few statistically robust measures of attitudes towards animals exist beyond the Animal Attitude Scale (AAS—Herzog, Betchart and Pittman 1991). While extensively utilized, the AAS does not discriminate between categories of animals, that is, pet, pest, and commercially valued species. The current study was therefore conducted to develop a scale aimed at isolating differences in attitudes towards animals across three different categories: (1) pet (companion animal), (2) pest, and (3) profit/utility animals (PPP). Despite limitations due to a low return rate (n = 210), the PPP scale proved to have strong internal reliability, and related well to the AAS. The development of this scale and initial validation are described. Scores on the "pet" subscale were found to be the highest, followed by those on the "profit" then "pest" scales. Other noteworthy results including interactions between gender, occupation, and scores on the PPP subscales are discussed.
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Encuesta de población activa
  • Jan 2024
Instituto Nacional de Estadística. (2024). Encuesta de población activa.
La zarigüeya de Schrödinger: Cómo viven y entienden la muerte los animales
  • Jan 2021
  • S Monsó
Monsó, S. (2021). La zarigüeya de Schrödinger: Cómo viven y entienden la muerte los animales. Plaza y Valdés.