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Psychology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships

Psychology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships Gail F. Melson 1 Psychology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships The breadth and diversity of psychology as a disci- pline resists easy generalization. Sub-Želds—psycho- analysis, experimental psychology, environmental psychology, the psychology of religion, and the psy- chology of women—all crowd under the umbrella of the American Psychological Association. No uni- fying theory unites these disparate branches of the psychology “tree.” Indeed, guiding assumptions, theo- retical frameworks, and methodologies are not only distinct but also often contradictory. Publication out- lets mirror their disciplinary tracks. Despite this, I would risk one generalization about psychology writ large: The study of human-animal relationships historically ha s been igno red and continues to resist attention. Only in small part is this due to the proliferation of sub-Želds and the resulting lack of a disciplinary “home” for the psy- chological study of human-animal relationships. Psychology is conventionally deŽned as “the science or study of the activities of living things and their interaction with the environment” (Harris & Levey, 1975, pp. 22-36) with such activities including sense perception, responses to stimuli, learning, problem- Society & Animals 10:4 © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2002 solving, emotions, motivations, personality, mental disorders, and individ- ual-group interaction. Yet, http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Society & Animals Brill

Psychology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships

Melson, Gail
Society & Animals , Volume 10 (4): 347 – Jan 1, 2002
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References (16)

Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 2002 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1063-1119
eISSN
1568-5306
DOI
10.1163/156853002320936791
Publisher site
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Abstract

Gail F. Melson 1 Psychology and the Study of Human-Animal Relationships The breadth and diversity of psychology as a disci- pline resists easy generalization. Sub-Želds—psycho- analysis, experimental psychology, environmental psychology, the psychology of religion, and the psy- chology of women—all crowd under the umbrella of the American Psychological Association. No uni- fying theory unites these disparate branches of the psychology “tree.” Indeed, guiding assumptions, theo- retical frameworks, and methodologies are not only distinct but also often contradictory. Publication out- lets mirror their disciplinary tracks. Despite this, I would risk one generalization about psychology writ large: The study of human-animal relationships historically ha s been igno red and continues to resist attention. Only in small part is this due to the proliferation of sub-Želds and the resulting lack of a disciplinary “home” for the psy- chological study of human-animal relationships. Psychology is conventionally deŽned as “the science or study of the activities of living things and their interaction with the environment” (Harris & Levey, 1975, pp. 22-36) with such activities including sense perception, responses to stimuli, learning, problem- Society & Animals 10:4 © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2002 solving, emotions, motivations, personality, mental disorders, and individ- ual-group interaction. Yet,

Journal

Society & Animals – Brill

Published: Jan 1, 2002

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