Literature Review

Araci Reyes
University of Texas at El Paso
Dr. Lang

Introduction
In the twenty first century, one of the issues that is less talked about is animal abuse.
Animal abuse can affect many animals and habitats, even though domestic animal abuse is more
common than others. However, the todays society is not aware of it or does not know what
animal abuse is. With the help of several secondary and primary sources, some questions about
this topic are going to be clarified. Taking into consideration aspects such as, education, cultural,
environment, economic, technology, social, political, or ethics I will attempt to make the reader
aware of animal abuse in domestic environments. The following questions are intended to also
broaden the issues topic. What can be defined as animal abuse? How can animal abuse be
detected? Lastly, to what degree can animal harm be considered animal abuse?
Secondary Sources
As mentioned before animal abuse affects many animals across every environment.
However, I will approach this subject focusing on domestic situations. To do so, facts about this
topic are going to be illustrated and these facts will be obtained from articles and scholarly peer
reviewed journals. To start we are going to discuss the scholarly reviewed journal of Henry Bill.
Throughout this journal he discusses a correlation between humans having sympathy towards
domestic animals and human action towards the animal. The way Henry Bill demonstrated this
correlation was by conducting a survey in which random females and males where asked to
answer questions related to animals in different situations. Questions such as, Intentionally
killing a companion animal (e.g., pet dog, cat, rabbit,etc.) other than to help the animal because it
was hurt, old or sick (Bill, 25,2009). From these questions the person taking the survey would
answer how seriously they consider animal abuse. The results in the journal were demonstrated
and a few differences were found. The scholarly review states, The current study suggests that

attitudes about abuse and neglect can be reliably dierentiated among both men and women.
However, the structure of these attitudes appears to dier substantially by sex. (Henry, 33,
2009). This conclusion does not state the causes of animal abuse, however, it suggests that
females are more sympathetic towards animals. Previous research has indicated that women are
more empathetic toward animals than are men (Herzog, 2007, Henry, 34, 2011). The scholarly
review restates how it is more common for males than women to cause this type of abuse. This
source helps the viewer understand how the correlation between humans and sympathy can
clarify issues such as knowing the cause of animal abuse. This hypothesis implies that crueltyand neglect-related attitudes are indeed predictors of overt behavior (Henry, 34, 2009). With
this last quote the viewer can see how animal abuse is solely the human races fault.
Multiple research have study the outcomes of harming animals, mainly in domestic
environments. In the scholarly review journal by Arluke et al, titled The Relationship of Animal
Abuse to Violence and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior, a correlation was found between
animal abuse and violence among human interaction. The first example can be demonstrates on
page 964,According to this form of the hypothesis, the 5- year old who abuses animals is on
the way to becoming an elementary school bully, aggressive adolescent, and adult violent
offender. The quote sets a possible outcome seen in actions as mistreating an animal in such a
young age, in which hopefully it starts actions toward this type of behavior and stay alert for this
signs of warning. In a like manner this scholarly review journal also approaches a different
perspective to highlight that this sign of aggression in a young age is highly important but not the
only warning sign. Ascione (1998) found that 71% of battered women in a shelter who owned a
pet reported that their assaultive male partners had threatened to harm or had actually harmed the
family, and Renzetti (1992) reported that 38% of pet owning abused women in lesbian

relationships claimed their abuse partners mistreated their abusive partners mistreated their pets.
(Arluke et al, 2014,965) This quote demonstrates how violence is a stepping factor for future
agressions. Lastly the scholarls review states,More specifically, they found that 25% of
aggressive criminals, 5.8% of nonaggressive criminals, and none of the non - criminals had
abuse animals five or more times in childhood. (Arluke et al, 2014, 964). This quote
demonstrates how this issue is reflected and can be identify in the criminals who were aggressive
towards humans too. Overall we must state what is being consider animal abuse cruelty was
operationally define as any investigated case where an animal had been intentionally harmed
physically (e.g., beaten, stabbed, shot, hanged, drowned, stoned, poisoned, burned, strangled,
driven over, or thrown). (Arluke et all, 2014, 966).
Next, we will be using the article of Frank R. Ascione titled, Animal Abuse and Youth
Violence. The article will be used to add to the previous statements of the causes of animal
abuse. To begin with the writer states, The forms of abuse to which animals may be subjected
are parallel to the forms of child maltreatment. Animals may be physically or sexually abused,
may be seriously neglected, and, some might argue, may be psychologically abused.
(Ascione,2001,2). This demonstrates that animal abuse is a reflection of how we treat the
people around us. In this article is also discuss how past experiences can create mental trauma
that can lead a person to form part of the animal abuse issue, however, it has exclusions.
Potential candidates for inclusion in the no referred and referred groups were excluded if they
were mentally retarded, had a serious physical illness, or had a handicap. (Ascione,2001, 2) .
This means that the actions of those people who are not mentally fit are not able to control their
actions in which previous actions cannot be determine as intentional. In this article different
studies were conducted and some discoveries were made, for example, Pathological animal

abuse Rather than indicating a lack of education about the humane treatment of animals,
animal abuse by these children may be symptomatic of psychological disturbances of varying
severity. studies have tied childhood animal abuse to childhood histories of physical abuse,
sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence (Ascione, 2001,7). Clarifying that this actions
are effect of mistreatments towards a person, which cannot be justified but are factors that lead a
person to this type of behavior. As well another theory was discover, Delinquent animal abuse.
Youth in this category are most likely to be adolescents whose animal abuse may be one of a
number of antisocial activities. In some cases, the animal abuse may be a component of
gang/cult-related activities or less formal group violence and destructiveness Ascione, 2001,7).
This is somewhat self -explanatory, the influence we have from the people we are surrounded by
is another leading factor for this cruelty against animals. Lastly we have the exploratory/curious
animal abuse, Children in this category are likely to be of preschool or early elementary school
age, poorly supervised, and lacking training on the physical care and humane treatment of a
variety of animals, especially family pets and/or stray animals and neighborhood wildlife.(Ascione,2001,7). Since these cases mostly occur in such a young age we can say that is
effect of the innocence and lack of education this kids have, however, this can be prevented by
teaching the kids the importance of taking care of animals.
To illustrate this topics seriousness the graphic
from the left (Figure 1) is being used to demonstrate the
multiple perspectives that can be taken into this topic. As
we have mention before we are focusing in a more
domestic environment. In which we can see how neglect
(which usually happens in a domestic environment) is one

of the biggest percentages with a thirty two point two percentage (32.2%).
References:
Bill, H ( 2009). Can Attitudes About Animal Neglect Be Dierentiated From Attitudes About
Animal Abuse? Society and Animals 17,21-17.
Arluke, A. Levin, J. Luke, C. Ascione, F.(2014) Antisocial Behavior: The Relationship of
Animal Abuse to Violence and Other Forms of Antisocial Behavior. Journal of Interpersonal
Violence , 963-975.
Ascione, Frank. R. (2001) Animal Abuse and Youth Violenc. Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, 1- 16.
U.S. Animal Abuse Classifications and Occurrences, Graphed: 2012. (2012, March 9). Retrieved
October 9, 2014.