Cruelty is a characteristic present in many human beings that can sometimes be reflected in the way some people treat their pets or other animals with which they come into contact. Although it is a very sad and frustrating fact, animal abuse is still the order of the day in our society and we do not always realize the amount of violence that it can be exercised towards other animal species.
When we think of animal abuse, the image of a person violently beating or yelling at their pet comes to mind, without feelings or scruples, however… What exactly is the personality of this type? of individuals? In this article on our site, we will make a psychological profile of an animal abuser In this way, we will be able to identify this type of person and prevent them from continuing to exercise violence towards our fellow adventurers.
Traits of people who mistreat animals
First of all, it is necessary to define what animal abuse is. This act is characterized as a deliberate act of cruelty, violence or abandonment towards an animal, whether wild, a pet or a street animal.
Although most of us openly condemn these types of acts, there are many types of animal abuse that continue to be perpetuated in society. An example of animal violence is the torture suffered by bulls in bullfights or the state in which many of the pets sold in stores are raised. However, thanks to advances in our society, we are leaving behind many of these practices.
What is a person who mistreats animals like? What are you thinking when you hurt them? Next, we are going to carry out a psychological profile in order to shed some light on these unknowns.
The personality of an abuser
Many researchers have tried to find personality traits that are characteristic of this type of person, despite the fact that there are cultural variables and areas in which animal abuse is more normalized. The following psychological characteristics have been found.
- Aggressiveness: an aggressive person has a natural tendency to respond violently to the stimuli around him, in this case, if he feels anger or frustration towards an animal, he will not hesitate to exercise acts of abuse towards it.
- Impulsivity: acts of abuse and violence, whether towards an animal or another person, are also related to low control of our acts. Being impulsive means not thinking twice before acting, this implies letting go of anger without thinking about whether it harms another being.
- Low emotional intelligence: One of the most characteristic traits of emotional intelligence is empathy. This trait is defined as the ability to feel and identify the emotional states of others. If a person does not feel that he is hurting an animal, he will have a hard time controlling her actions to avoid hurting him
- Need for power: On many occasions, violence is used to maintain a position of power. When an animal (in many cases, a pet) does not obey, an abuser will exercise violence on it.
- Selfishness: when a person only thinks of his own benefit, he may commit acts of cruelty with the sole objective of to get something. For the same reason, an abuser will have a strong selfish tendency.
- Defiant Personality: Individuals who act against the law and feel a certain excitement towards it can develop abusive behaviors. This is because they constantly ignore and challenge the welfare of other beings around them.
Now you know what the psychological profile of people who mistreat animals is like, but is there a relationship between animal abuse and psychopathy? Keep reading…
Relationship between animal abuse and psychopathy
It is possible that the psychological profile of an animal abuser is closely linked to mental illness. Psychological pathologies seriously affect our abilities to feel and reason and some personality disorders can lead to animal abuse.
A psychopath is a person who has great difficulty understanding the suffering of others, likewise, if an act of violence towards another If it provides him with some kind of benefit (for example, getting off a bad day by hitting his pet) he will not hesitate to do so. That is why many psychopaths can mistreat animals, although not all abusers are psychopaths
Although mental disorders can influence violent acts, animal abuse is a phenomenon that is influenced by many factors: social, emotional, environmental… For example, if your family has taught that you have to teach your pet by beating him when he misbehaves, it is more likely that you will end up copying these attitudes with other animals. The important thing about this cruel phenomenon is knowing how to identify it, both in our own acts and in those of others. In this way, we can chase it down and eliminate it.
Finally, we would like to point out that it is especially important to pay special attention to children who mistreat animals or their pets Although it can be considered a of "exploring" or knowing the limits of tolerance of the animal itself, it can also reveal an incipient form of abuse, which serves as preparation for physical violence in its future stages.
It is very important that a child who mistreats animals visit a psychologist, as there are many causes that may be causing this situation, such as the minor himself suffers abuse, and it is essential to identify them in order to avoid aggressive behaviors that could endanger the life of their pets.
What to do in a situation of animal abuse?
If we have detected that an abusive situation is taking place in our environment, the first thing we must do is protect the animal to avoid major damage. We can report animal abuse to the authorities or ask the alleged abuser to give us or a third party custody of the animal. Once he is safe, we must initiate an intervention directed at the abuser. To do this, the first step is to legally report the situation so that a team of experts is in charge of regulating the situation.
This type of action or intervention will be based on re-educating the violent person and, above all, controlling violent and aggressive behaviour. We can address abuse in two ways, both of which can be combined to form a more effective process:
- Punishment: Whether it's a fine or a prison term, appropriate punishment in a situation of animal abuse is often the first choice more evident. In fact, there are laws designed to impose such punishments on abusers.
- Psychological strategy: once we punish the individual, we can continue the reeducation process to prevent him from attacking an animal again, this strategy will be based on developing your empathy and channeling your anger.
Say NO to animal abuse
As we have commented throughout this article, animal abuse is everyone's responsibility This means that there is not only a psychological component that determines violent actions. All of us can prevent and avoid animal abuse to a certain extent.
If we want to do our bit, we must publicly denounce situations of abuse, avoid participating in events that exploit animals and inform ourselves a little about how to properly treat our fellow fur, scales and feathers.
