The Effect of Pet Interaction on Owner Well-Being, Dissertation – Introduction Example

Introduction

The interaction between human beings and animals began in ancient times during pre-historic periods. Specifically, farmers and herders domesticated dogs as they provided an immense social contribution to daily livelihoods. In essence, animals have been helpful to man in advanced levels that fellow humans cannot attain. Individuals in modern times find pets instrumental in maintaining a healthy social life. Mammalian pets have been vital in offering relevant and reliable emotional support to owners. This literature provides recent research which identifies the positive influence of the well-being of respective owners to specific pets.

Summary of Study Methodology

This research is intended to provide background literature concerning the influence of specific pets on their owners. This study utilizes the mixed methodology approach of incorporating questionnaires developed by professionals in clinical psychology. In essence, the study experiment includes the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, the PANAS 20 psychometrics, and the Perceived Stress Questionnaire. The metrics are collected from identified participants involving pet owners who present practical information collected three times separated by 48 hours apart. Practically, this methodology has been tactical in identifying the positive or benefits of owning a mammalian pet.

The integration of objective questionnaires and observation techniques has offered tactical insight into the contribution of pets to rightful proprietors. Research findings and recommendations indicate that animals are complementary to humans in ascertain mental well-being. Most fundamentally, a proper and relevant investigation highlights vital benefits as a positive influence of mammalian pets on owners’ cognitive and social well-being.

Effective in Offering Emotional Support

Mammalian pets are effective in offering their owners emotional support. There exist times when an individual’s mood is low, indicating despair. For instance, losing an actual person results in grief, and affected persons need to overcome the situation (Byström & Persson, 2015). Similarly, it is common for students to experience hopelessness whenever they record poor academic grades (Hahn et al., 2020). Some professionals also encounter stressful periods at work due to immense work pressure from colleagues or clients. As a result, emotional support is significant in ensuring individuals overcome unexpected or adverse outcomes (Clark, 2010). Mammalian pets, including dogs and cats, are helpful in offering an effective source of emotional support. These animals live within the same residence as their owners hence available conveniently (Wünderlich et al., 2021). Some individuals carry them to work, as evidenced in liberal societies with advanced economies. Most significantly, the pets present advanced quality of emotional support not achievable by humans.

Mammalian pets area also perceived as companion animals that aid individuals improve negative social feelings. For example, dogs used as pets aid their owners overcome the loneliness that can result in mental illnesses (Hahn et al., 2020). The presence of animals makes a vacant or less-occupied home jovial and active from both outsides and inside the premises. The dogs can reject individuals visiting a house without the owner’s authorization for varying reasons (Clark, 2010). Similarly, the animal pet offers comfort and develops a cheerful home for its owners despite few people for company. The presence of this mammalian pet enhances the owner’s joy resulting in improved social life (Byström & Persson, 2015). It is common to find individuals maintaining social distance with friends in grief. Such persons feel demotivated and hopeless in seeking emotional support from friends or families.

Presents a Sustainable Source of Empathy

Humans are loving beings who occasionally require empathy for sustainable social growth. Comprehensive understanding between two individuals is vital for overcoming tumultuous events or grief (White, 2013). It is through sharing of excitement or sadness that individuals extend their social empathy to involved persons. Individuals practice the skill with close relatives and friends, indicating an advanced social connection (Brooks et al., 2016). However, human beings are unreliable and unsustainable sources of empathy at all times. Each person experiences down moments when they require affection as their friends. Sometimes their presence lacks significance and relevance due to parental or professional duties. As a result, mammalian pets are considered instrumental in offering unconditional empathy to their owners (Wünderlich et al., 2021). Most objectively, their consistent presence in availability enhances the well-being of individuals encountering mixed experiences.

Practically, the pets offer a continuous source of seeking affection since other humans are unreliable. Pet owners develop the certainty of sharing sensitive information, resulting in conflict when communicated with friends or colleagues (Brooks et al., 2016). For instance, mammalian pets are instrumental in offering empathy to individuals who lose their assigned income or are relieved from professional duties (Stern et al., 2013). Unfair dismissal due to inter-employee conflict depicts adverse mental outcomes among individuals necessitating affection. Similarly, the owner-pet relationship ensures a secure source of emotional confinement with individuals unable to conceive (Hahn et al., 2020). In these contexts, the mammalian pet is instrumental in offering a continuous basis of empathy until the owner secures another job. These animals also ensure emotional stability among individuals. Knowing what to expect from the pet assures an individual of sustainable empathy whenever something goes wrong.

Reliable Partners for Confiding

Expressing oneself without fear of social judgment is a critical factor of emotional satisfaction. Individuals who represent themselves comprehensively depict instrumental life skills. For example, a confident person displays no fear when presenting a public speech (Cirulli et al., 2011). It is the same way sure students assume a leadership role in group assignments with classmates. Developing these attributes can be problematic to individuals as confiding requires an advanced sense of security and privacy (Yount et al., 2013). Essentially, it is difficult for humans to portray these attributes as they are self-centered. Confiding in a friend or family members still feels insecure as they can turn the situation against you. In such contexts, mammalian pets are helpful as they depict fundamental traits of trust and reliability (Wünderlich et al., 2021). Pet owners feel more comfortable confiding in their pets than humans, as illustrated in advanced communities.

Mammalian pets a suitable partner for confiding both sensitive information and secrets. For example, officials working in a trusted company are expected to depict advanced discretion for protecting their clients (Brown et al., 2016). Their human nature allows interaction with friends or colleagues in social environments. In this case, mentioning sensitive information to untrusted persons can complicate the security of one’s professional competence. In addition, people have a deep secret that reoccurs periodically whenever the memories are evoked (Cirulli et al., 2011). For instance, friendship secrets determine the emotional cohesion between individuals but can be harmful when exposed. Sharing them with mutual but appropriate persons can affect the relationship due to mistrust. Consequently, mammalian pets offer reliable partners for confiding secrets or any sensitive information (Yount et al., 2013). Their contribution is immeasurable as they are not judgmental or critical to situations or individual choices.

Useful in Sensing a Crisis

Additionally, mammalian pets are helpful in sensing situations or scenarios with substantial impacts on their owners. Dogs have special sensing abilities that offer timely information to individuals concerning an instance (Brooks et al., 2016). For example, security dogs are instrumental in identifying unscrupulous persons with malicious intentions of stealing or causing harm. In this context, the dog communicates through restlessness and backing until neutralizes the danger. When critically perceived, these special abilities by mammalian pets also advance in assuring owners’ mental health (Episcopio?Sturgeon & Pienaar, 2020). Pets, including cats, offer vital information by sensing instances of grief due to losing a friend or family member. Sorrow and constant unrest indicate a situation requiring immediate social attention (Dominick et al., 2020). It is difficult to find humans with similar attributes of sensing a crisis before it happens.

Timely and adequate senses can be helpful to to owners and other individuals when perceived diversely. For instance, an aggressive reaction by a horse rejecting a rider due to mistrust is fundamental for decoding the information shared. In addition, donkeys also swivel their ears back and forth to indicate anxiety and alertness to owners (Atickem et al., 2010). The information communicated by mammalian pets requires a personalized interaction with owners for accurate interpretation (Dominick et al., 2020). It is to mention that the social connection between the pets and their owners contributes to the effective sharing of information required for avoiding an adverse situation. Specifically, sensing danger is objective in protecting the well-being of individuals whenever trouble arises. Humans do not possess these special abilities as their judgment and concentration get disrupted occasionally (Chandler, 2018). Therefore, mammalian pets help avert adverse outcomes of both physical and social danger.

Enhance Self-Acceptance and Esteem Levels among Owners

Mammalian pets also improve vital social skills entailing the self-acceptance and esteem levels of owners. This discussion noted that domesticated animals offer a reliable source of empathy or affection (Nimer & Lundahl, 2007). For instance, they facilitate grieving persons with the required moral support of overcoming the loss of a friend or relative. They also ensure timely presence whenever the owners look for them and sue people with malicious intentions against the pets. In this context, individuals constitute significant partners in friends during undesirable situations by their affectionate is conditional and unsustainable (Cui et al., 2021). In this case, the consistency of showing affection unconditionally develops positive outcomes among owners. Owners of mammalian pets develop valuable life skills, including self-acceptance and esteem required for advanced interaction with friends or colleagues (Kamioka et al., 2014). Most significantly, these traits are critical in ensuring the mental and social well-being of pet owners.

Developing essential life skills with the pet is presents an instrumental framework for improving inter-personal relations. A pet owner can apply the knowledge acquired in their relationship to enhance their interactions with friends and colleagues (Cui et al., 2021). For instance, adopting self-esteem through emotional intelligence is vital for strengthening connections among individuals (Kamioka et al., 2014). Acquiring this skill is fundamental as it influences owners’ well-being depending on a situational context. Most critically, progressive traits can be helpful to pet proprietors at both personal and professional levels. For example, acquiring high esteem levels by interacting with pets is advantageous to owners in avoiding interpersonal conflicts motivated by negative social judgment (Nimer & Lundahl, 2007). Most importantly, mammalian pets allow owners to develop progressive traits required for positive interaction with friends or colleagues.

Helpful in Developing Emotional Stability and Stress Management

Mammalian pets are also vital in achieving emotional stability and stress management among owners. The former attributes are considered critical in ensuring advanced interaction involving individuals (Hayden-Evans et al., 2018). For instance, emotional stability aids in objective and accurate decision-making during examples of conflicts. This life skill also enables pet owners to learn advanced dynamic intelligence practices required at personal and professional levels (Ward et al., 2017). It is through stable feelings in crisis that leaders achieve stakeholder integration in workplaces. In this case, individuals avoid high emotions, which contribute to anger and resentment against rivals. Physical altercation can emerge among people disagreeing on a general or sensitive topic. This is common among people with outstanding political or religious views against others (Murray et al., 2015). Consequently, mammalian pets are instrumental in facilitating the emotional stability required for avoiding conflicts.

Furthermore, mammalian pets enable owners to develop sustainable stress management practices. The presence of these animals is vital for reliability and consistency for owners whenever there is a problem (Episcopio?Sturgeon & Pienaar, 2020). For instance, a pet dog living with the owner in an apartment offers emotional solid support required for psychological well-being (Watson et al., 1988). In essence, attaining objective stress management skills using a pet can be helpful to individuals encountering social challenges dynamically. For instance, therapy dogs play the social role of motivating and offering affection to unemployed persons (Murray et al., 2015). Through emotional stability, pet owners advance their relationships with peers, aided by reduced stress levels. Achieving strong and sustainable emotional peace requires social bonding attributes and empathy. Interacting with friends and colleagues presents obstacles as biases and self-interest drive individuals (Hayden-Evans et al., 2018). Therefore, mammalian pets are essential partners in achieving reduced stress levels by being emotionally stable.

Therapy Dogs Reduce Pre-Exam Stress

Moreover, people encounter stressful events from diverse sources when depicted from various perspectives. For instance, parents become psychologically distressed whenever they lose their income sources (Ólafsdóttir, 2017). The overwhelming demand experienced by the parents arises from daily needs, including food, shelter, clothing, and education (Ory & Goldberg, 1983). Similarly, professionals experience significant stress at the workplace when the working environment is unconducive. The distress becomes imminent once an individual arrives at home with immense expectations. Specifically, students in college and higher learning institutions also encounter stress from academic work. Assignments that accumulate at the end of the semester result in emotional instability as students fear poor grades (Ratschen et al., 2020). In this context, therapy dogs are important among students in higher learning institutions for reducing pre-exam stress. It is during this period that confidence and esteem are fundamental elements of assessment by academic regulators.

Mammalian pets are helpful for the students as they offer reliable emotional and psychological support to those affected. For instance, therapy dogs provide the required social motivation required for overcoming academic challenges during exams. It is possible to record poor grades despite spending sufficient time for revision (Ory & Goldberg, 1983). Low confidence and esteem levels can contribute to inferior performance due to negative emotional stability. Therapy dogs are essential in improving the revision environment, which is critical for good performance (Ólafsdóttir, 2017). Students in colleges and higher learning institutions optimize on pets to strengthen their intellectual concentration. The silence in examination rooms becomes significant in ensuring optimum conditions of internalization and interpretation of theories. Most specifically, trained pets such as therapy dogs depict special skills of offering empathy and affection (Watson et al., 1988). Spending time with the pet can be mentally relieving and emotionally stabilizing for students with pre-exam stress.

Increases Comforting Feelings through Physical Touch

Humans require comfort from different sources depending on the nature or context of a situation. For instance, professional sportspersons need moral motivation from their technical management officials (Bryant, 1990). Moreover, students require academic comfort from tutors and guardians during low cases of performance. Similarly, career people need comfort from the social and economic encounters with different organizational stakeholders, including employees, subordinate staff, and management officials. Consequently, comfort is vital for progressive mental growth among individuals (Hills & Argyle, 2002). This feeling contributes to emotional stability resulting in objective decision-making and progressive mental health.

In this case, fellow humans can fail to provide this support due to different reasons. Some prefer to avoid the personal issues of unrelated persons as a means of maintaining mental health (Bryant, 1990). Others offer social comfort with malicious intents of benefiting from the troubling situation. Mammalian pets are objective in improving feelings of comfort via physical touch (Cohen, 1988). Owners relieve themselves from psychological pressures by adopting a dedicated communication channel (Bryant, 1990). For instance, owners interact with the pets by rubbing their bellies, creating a social bond. It is also common for pet dogs to sleep on their owners in a particular position for comfort (Stallones, 1994). Both the pet and its owner benefit from physical touch as it enhances the social bond between them.

Security Dogs improve Owner’s Sense of Protection

Finally, mammalian pets are instrumental in offering their owners a sense of protection. On the one hand, some pets are useful in ensuring their owners’ physical security and properties (Cohen, 1988). For instance, security dogs and watchdogs provide tactical protection by keeping suspicious persons away by barking and chasing intruders. This is important for individuals with immense levels of fear during critical periods at night and during daytime (Hills & Argyle, 2002). Physical protection is important to an individual living in insecure residencies such as dangerous streets and neighborhoods. On the other hand, mammalian pets are critical in offering their owners social security. This includes the compassion, empathy, and comfort that pets have on their owners (Watson et al., 1988). Most importantly, pets are helpful in ensuring optimal mental health among individuals with emotional discomfort.

Conclusion

In essence, mammalian pets are useful to humans as they extend social comfort and empathy. People encounter different social experiences with adverse outcomes. Negative social encounters affect the mental well-being of individuals requiring professional intervention. Ideally, this background literature offers the significant role of mammalian animals to pet owners. Notably, the pets improve the mental well-being of owners by eliminating social solitude and reducing grief. These owners benefit from advanced social care not familiar with fellow humans such as friends and family members. The intervention made through limited judgment and reliable presence develops instrumental social skills among owners. This sense of protection and discretion is required for reliving psychological pressure. Different studies have been tactical in presenting elements indicating mammalian pets’ social and economic benefits, including dogs, cats, and horses, among others.

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