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The biological and psychological basis of pet therapy / animal-assisted therapy and what this means for practice"A comprehensive, scientific foundation for human-animal therapy". (Judith Solomon)In recent years, the ancient symbiosis between humans and their pets has entered a new phase, marked by the burgeoning clinical specialty of human-animal therapy. This approach uses the relationship between humans and their (mainly) mammalian pets to support the growth of emotion regulation, social skills, and mental health in children, adolescents, and adults. But how are humans and animals able to develop close bonds at all? What makes it possible for animals to have a therapeutic effect on humans? And how can we best use this understanding in animal-assisted therapy? In this unique book, a team of expert biologists and psychologists integrate and combine sophisticated biological and psychological knowledge to answer these questions. Together they have created a comprehensive, scientific foundation for human-animal therapy, a foundation that will facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective new interventions.
List of contents
Table of ContentsForeword by Judith SolomonForeword by Sir Patrick Bateson1 The Mysterious Relationship Between Humans and Animals2 Why Humans Are Willing and Able to Relate to Animals: The Perspective of Evolutionary BiologyThe Comparative Biologist ApproachHuman Biophilia and Interest in AnimalsThe Mechanistic Base of Human-Animal CompanionshipSociocognitive Matching by DomesticationWhich Companion Animal?3 Effects of Human-Animal Interaction on Health, Social Interaction, Mood, Autonomous Nervous System, and HormonesIntroductionPositive Health EffectsImprovement of Positive Social Attention from Others and Stimulation of Social BehaviorImproved LearningEmpathic SkillsReduction of Fear and Anxiety and Promotion of CalmnessIncreased Trust and TrustworthinessPositive Mood and Reduction of DepressionImproved Pain ManagementReduction of AggressionPhysiological EffectsConclusion4 Physiology of Relationships: The Integrative Function of OxytocinThe Fight or Flight Reaction and the Relaxation and Growth or the Calm and Connection ReactionThe Morphology of the Oxytocinergic SystemOxytocin ReceptorsThe Function of the Oxytocinergic SystemClinical DisordersRelease of Oxytocin in AnimalsHuman Models of Oxytocin ReleaseExamples of Functional ConsequencesGeneralized Oxytocin Effects Beyond Mother-Infant DyadsOxytocin and Human-Animal Interaction5 Interpersonal Human Relationships: Attachment and CaregivingIntroductionAttachment and Caregiving: DescriptionsExcursus: Behavioral SystemsBehavioral Systems: Attachment and CaregivingThe Attachment SystemThe Caregiving SystemDistribution of Attachment and Caregiving PatternsEffects of Insecure and Disorganized Attachment PatternsLinking Attachment and Caregiving to Social SupportThe Transmission of Attachment and Caregiving to Close RelationshipsFully Developed Attachment and Caregiving RelationshipsVersus Openness to Securely Attach6 Connecting Attachment and Caregiving with Their Physiological BaseIntroductionAttachment and Neuroendocrinological SystemsPhysiological Reaction Patterns and Caregiving Styles7 Human-Animal Relationships: Attachment and CaregivingIntroductionCan Human-Animal Relationships Be Conceptualized as Attachment Relationships?Can Human-Animal Relationships Be Conceptualized as Caregiving Relationships?The Connection Between Attachment and Caregiving Behavior"Insecure" and Nonattached Relationships Between Human and AnimalsAttachment and Caregiving: The Animal Part8 Bringing the Strands Together: The Physiology of Attachment and Caregiving in Human-Animal RelationshipsPhysiological and Endocrine Patterns Underlying Attachment and Caregiving in Human-Animal RelationshipsAn Explanation for the Health-Promoting Effects of Human-Animal Interactions9 Practical Implications for TherapyTherapeutical ImplicationsThe Animal-Therapist Relationship as Precondition forAnimal-Assisted InterventionsThe Selection of a Therapy AnimalPotential Risks of Animal-Assisted Interventions for Humans and AnimalsThe Health-Promoting Potential of Companion Animals in SocietyReferences
About the author
Dr. Andrea Beetz, Dipl.-Psych., lehrt und forscht an der Universität Rostock u.a. zur Mensch-Tier-Beziehung.
Professor Kurt Kotrschal ist Leiter der Konrad-Lorenz-Forschungsstelle und Mitbegründer des Wolfsforschungszentrums in Ernstbrunn. Im Jahr 2011 wurde er zum Wissenschaftler des Jahres ernannt.
Dennis C. Turner ist Gründer und Direktor des Instituts für angewandte Ethologie und Tierpsychologie in Hirzel in der Schweiz und wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Zoologischen Institut in Zürich. Weltweit ist er durch seine Vorträge und Fachartikel über Katzenverhalten bekannt.
Summary
The biological and psychological basis of pet therapy / animal-assisted therapy and what this means for practice
"A comprehensive, scientific foundation for human-animal therapy". (Judith Solomon)
In recent years, the ancient symbiosis between humans and their pets has entered a new phase, marked by the burgeoning clinical specialty of human-animal therapy. This approach uses the relationship between humans and their (mainly) mammalian pets to support the growth of emotion regulation, social skills, and mental health in children, adolescents, and adults.
But how are humans and animals able to develop close bonds at all? What makes it possible for animals to have a therapeutic effect on humans? And how can we best use this understanding in animal-assisted therapy?
In this unique book, a team of expert biologists and psychologists integrate and combine sophisticated biological and psychological knowledge to answer these questions. Together they have created a comprehensive, scientific foundation for human-animal therapy, a foundation that will facilitate the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective new interventions.
