The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond

The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond PDF Author: Christopher Blazina
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 144199761X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
There have been dramatic increases in the financial, emotional, and psychological investment in pets over the past four decades. The increasing importance of animal companions in people's lives has resulted in growing emphasis on the human-animal bond within academic literature. This book introduces practicing and emerging professionals to vital subject matter concerning this growing specialty area by providing an essential framework and information through which to consider the unique contextual backdrop of the human-animal bond. Such contexts include a wide array of themes including: issues of attachment and loss, success and frustration with making and sustaining connections, world views regarding animal ethics, familial history of neglect or abuse, and cultural dynamics that speak to the order of things between mankind and nature. Adopting a contextual stance will aid mental health professionals in appreciating why and how this connection has become a significant part of everyday life for many. As with any other important clinical dynamic, training and preparation are needed to gain competence for professional practice and research. To this end, an ensemble of international experts across the fields of psychology and mental health explore topics that will help both new and established clinicians increase and understanding of the various ways the human-animal bond manifests itself. Perspectives from beyond the scope of psychology and mental health such as anthropology, philosophy, literature, religion, and history are included to provide a sampling of the significant contexts in which the human-animal bond is established. What brings these divergent topics together in a meaningful way is their relevance and centrality to the contextual bonds that underlie the human-animal connection. This text will be a valuable resource that provides opportunities to deepen one's expertise in understanding the psychology of the human-animal bond.

The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond

The Psychology of the Human-Animal Bond PDF Author: Christopher Blazina
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 144199761X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
There have been dramatic increases in the financial, emotional, and psychological investment in pets over the past four decades. The increasing importance of animal companions in people's lives has resulted in growing emphasis on the human-animal bond within academic literature. This book introduces practicing and emerging professionals to vital subject matter concerning this growing specialty area by providing an essential framework and information through which to consider the unique contextual backdrop of the human-animal bond. Such contexts include a wide array of themes including: issues of attachment and loss, success and frustration with making and sustaining connections, world views regarding animal ethics, familial history of neglect or abuse, and cultural dynamics that speak to the order of things between mankind and nature. Adopting a contextual stance will aid mental health professionals in appreciating why and how this connection has become a significant part of everyday life for many. As with any other important clinical dynamic, training and preparation are needed to gain competence for professional practice and research. To this end, an ensemble of international experts across the fields of psychology and mental health explore topics that will help both new and established clinicians increase and understanding of the various ways the human-animal bond manifests itself. Perspectives from beyond the scope of psychology and mental health such as anthropology, philosophy, literature, religion, and history are included to provide a sampling of the significant contexts in which the human-animal bond is established. What brings these divergent topics together in a meaningful way is their relevance and centrality to the contextual bonds that underlie the human-animal connection. This text will be a valuable resource that provides opportunities to deepen one's expertise in understanding the psychology of the human-animal bond.

The Human-Animal Bond in Clinical Social Work Practice

The Human-Animal Bond in Clinical Social Work Practice PDF Author: Katherine Compitus
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783030877828
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 91

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Book Description
The human-animal bond may be described as a dynamic, mutually beneficial relationship between people and the animals they care for. There are a multitude of mental and physical health benefits for people who care for animals, and animals in therapy have been shown to aid a wide range of people and illnesses. Although the benefits of animal companionship have long been suspected, little is known about the research, the process, or why it works. This book provides clinicians with a history of the human-animal bond and the rationale for incorporating animals into therapy today. In this book, the author includes a discussion of the myriad of ways that clinicians can directly help people care for their pets, such as crisis intervention services, policy issues, grief counseling for pet loss, and compassion fatigue in the veterinary profession. There also is a thorough discussion of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as a distinct and unique modality. The adaptive nature of AAT is not only due to the symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, but also because of the flexible nature of the model; it can be used with clients of all demographics and with most mental illnesses. Research shows that the majority of mental health practitioners believe that AAT is a valid treatment modality, but AAT has not yet been manualized and clinicians are left confused about where to start. The Human-Animal Bond in Clinical Social Work Practice is a unique and essential resource that provides guidelines for developing AAT treatment plans and integrating AAT with existing therapeutic models. The book answers the questions that social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health counselors may have about the benefits of the human-animal bond and ways to tap into that special bond in direct practice.

Made for Each Other

Made for Each Other PDF Author: Meg Daley Olmert
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
ISBN: 0786744049
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 314

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Book Description
Nothing turns a baby's head more quickly than the sight or sound of an animal. This fascination is driven by the ancient chemical forces that first drew humans and animals together. It is also the same biology that transformed wolves into dogs and skittish horses into valiant comrades that would carry us into battle. Made for Each Other is the first book to explain how this chemistry of attraction and attachment flows through -- and between -- all mammals to create the profound emotional bonds humans and animals still feel today. Drawing on recent discoveries from neuroscience, evolutionary biology, behavioral psychology, archeology, as well as her own investigations, Meg Daley Olmert explains why the brain chemistry humans and animals trigger in each other also has a profound effect on our mental and physical well being. This lively and original investigation asks what happens when the bond is severed. If thousands of years of caring for animals infused us with a biology that shaped our hearts and minds, do we dare turn our back on it? Daley Olmert makes a compelling and scientific case for what our hearts have always known, that we were, and always will be, made for each other.

Men and Their Dogs

Men and Their Dogs PDF Author: Christopher Blazina
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319300970
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The healing power of the bond between men and dogs is explored in this unique book. Three important themes emerge: attachment, loss, and continued bonds with canine companions for males across the life span and from various contextual backgrounds. The contributors replace common assumptions with needed context pertaining to men’s emotions and relationships, starting with the impact of gender norms on attachment, and including robust data on how canine companionship may counter Western culture socialization. The chapters engage readers with details pertaining to ways in which dogs help men develop stable, caring relationships, process feelings, and cope with stress – within a variety of environments including home, school and treatment programs for veterans, prisoners, and youth. The book also address men’s loss of companion animals, and the need for building new ways of sustaining the memory and meaning of the bond in males’ lives, referred to as a “continuing bond.” From these various vantage points, therapeutic insights and relevant findings bring a new depth of understanding to this compelling topic. Included in the coverage: Masculine gender role conflict theory, research, and practice: implications for understanding the human-animal bond in males’ lives. At-risk youth and at-risk dogs helping one another. An examination of human-animal interaction as an outlet for healthy masculinity in prison. Exploring how the human-animal bond affects men’s relational capacity to make and sustain meaningful attachment bonds with both human and animal companions .“/li> Older adults and companion animals: physical and psychological benefits of the bond. Continuing the bonds with animal companions: implications for men grieving the loss of a dog. Probing the deeper concepts behind “man’s best friend,” Men and Their Dogs provides a rich clinical understanding of this timeless bond, and should be of special interest to health psychologists, clinical psychologists, academicians, social workers, nurses, counselors, life coaches and dog lovers.

The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies

The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies PDF Author: Linda Kalof
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199927146
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 641

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Book Description
The Oxford Handbook of Animal Studies tackles the infamous "animal question" how can humans rethink and reconfigure their relationships with other animals? Over the course of five sections and thirty chapters, the contributors investigate issues and concepts central to understanding our current relationship with other animals and the potential for coexistence in an ecological community of living beings.

The Role of Companion Animals in Counseling and Psychology

The Role of Companion Animals in Counseling and Psychology PDF Author: Jane K. Wilkes
Publisher: Charles C Thomas Publisher
ISBN: 0398085692
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
The human health benefits derived from relationships with companion animals has attracted an abundance of scientific interest and research. However, there is a need for theoretical conceptualizations in order to understand the healing benefits of human-animal interactions. The goal of this book is to seek these answers and the OC howOCO and OC whyOCO companion animals play a role in counseling and psychology. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with three psychologists who use animals in their therapy settings. The focus of these interviews was to determine the experiences of having a companion animal present during therapy sessions. The results revealed that pets in therapy: (1) enhanced the therapeutic alliance/relationship, (2) revived the therapeutic environment, (3) improved professional practice, and (4) created a sense of sacredness. The therapy animals seemed to provide the trust and safety needed for clients to work within the transitional space and that the animals may act as transitional objects for some clients. This book suggests that therapy animals are extremely helpful in providing a sense of safety for traumatized clients and could act as catalysts, especially with defensive and/or detached clients. Unique features include: discussion of the domestication of companion animals; research into the human-animal bond; social and psychological support theory; descriptions of methods used; object relations theory and Winnicott's Concepts; implications for the practice of counseling and psychology; professional and ethical considerations; and suggestions for future research. Replete with informative appendices that will serve as valuable knowledge, this book is a significant resource on the subject of animal-assisted therapy for mental health professionals such as counselors, clinical social workers, psychologists, and skilled therapists"

The Powerful Bond Between People and Pets

The Powerful Bond Between People and Pets PDF Author: P. Elizabeth Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780313056505
Category : Human-animal relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description


Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists

Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists PDF Author: Lori Kogan
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000373037
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Career Paths in Human-Animal Interaction for Social and Behavioral Scientists is an essential text for students and professionals wanting to pursue a career in human-animal interaction (HAI). It is exclusively designed to navigate this field and provide information on the best education, training, and background one might need to incorporate HAI into a successful career. Kogan and Erdman bring together a diverse range of insights from HAI social scientists who have secured or created their HAI job. The book highlights six categories of work settings: academia, private practice, corporations/for profit companies, non-profit organizations, government, and other positions, to show the growing number of opportunities to blend social science interests with the desire to incorporate HAI into their careers. The book clearly outlines the career paths available to social science students and professionals, from careers connected to human services of psychology, therapy, social work, and journalism, to research or other scholarship.

Assessing the Human-animal Bond

Assessing the Human-animal Bond PDF Author: David Charles Anderson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
This book gathers, in one place, those measures presently used to study the human-companion animal bond. The measures chosen for inclusion are the most heavily used by researchers, as well as measures that appear to be innovative or relate to the different aspects of the human-companion animal relationship. The measures cover the human-animal bond principally by attachment, but also by fear, abuse, or neglect.

Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health

Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health PDF Author: Matilda van den Bosch
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019103875X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 361

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Book Description
Human beings have always been affected by their surroundings. There are various health benefits linked to being able to access to nature; including increased physical activity, stress recovery, and the stimulation of child cognitive development. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health provides a broad and inclusive picture of the relationship between our own health and the natural environment. All aspects of this unique relationship are covered, ranging from disease prevention through physical activity in green spaces to innovative ecosystem services, such as climate change adaptation by urban trees. Potential hazardous consequences are also discussed including natural disasters, vector-borne pathogens, and allergies. This book analyses the complexity of our human interaction with nature and includes sections for example epigenetics, stress physiology, and impact assessments. These topics are all interconnected and fundamental for reaching a full understanding of the role of nature in public health and wellbeing. Much of the recent literature on environmental health has primarily described potential threats from our natural surroundings. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health instead focuses on how nature can positively impact our health and wellbeing, and how much we risk losing by destroying it. The all-inclusive approach provides a comprehensive and complete coverage of the role of nature in public health, making this textbook invaluable reading for health professionals, students, and researchers within public health, environmental health, and complementary medicine.