[Animals] How is the psychological profile of a person who mistreats animals?

[#Wittels-]

30% of young people mistreat animals, say studies.

There are signs that alert us to the psychological profile of people who mistreat animals, even these signs help us prevent family violence.

People who mistreat animals often have antisocial personality disorder, asocial traits and substance abuse (in the case of adults), says a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry.

 

The same study indicates that half of people with this type of personality engage in sadistic behavior, and if they commit this type of act before the age of 10, the prognosis is worse, even committing crimes.

 

Case. One of the dogs rescued in the Las Cumbres Ceibos case, Guayaquil.
What do psychologists say?
“A characteristic of people who mistreat animals is that they are individuals who grow up in families or environments in which violent behaviors directed at people weaker than them, for example, the elderly, children or pets, are developed. As individuals experience abuse from childhood, they become convinced that these are normal events”, explains psychologist Isabel Parra.

 

Some studies also show that these individuals are prone to violence and are stimulated by it. “They develop a mental pathology that feeds on violent events, they find satisfaction when they mistreat, be it a person or an animal, the fact of mistreating them generates a momentary calm. It is decor, they are existential voids that unfortunately these individuals fill with violence”, says the expert.

 

They are autocratic people. Alan Felthous, a psychologist who participated in the research published by the magazine, concluded that “animal abusers are people who want to demonstrate power and authority and act against weaker victims. They are authoritarian people, who do not usually listen to the opinions of others and are prone to giving orders”.

These individuals have anti-democratic beliefs and tend to direct violence towards weak victims or "scapegoats", in order to appear strong and feared. They are cold and calculating.

For Juan Armando Corbin, organizational psychologist, people who are capable of mistreating animals are selfish people. "They only think about themselves and do not connect emotionally with other people or with animals," he emphasizes.

 

"Selfishness is linked to any type of abuse, that is why an animal abuser can leave a puppy dumped in the middle of the road without any remorse," adds the specialist.

 

Link: https://www.metroecuador.com.ec/noticias/2022/03/14/como-es-el-perfil-psicologico-de-una-persona-que-maltrata-animales/