Understanding Animal Neglect and Cruelty

Root Causes

More than two decades of psychological and sociological research reveals that barbarous acts toward animals often lead to brutality toward humans. Such violence has been observed in serial killers, who often began their sprees of violence by practicing on animals, but is well-documented in cases of domestic violence and child abuse as well.

With the rise in professional study of the causes of animal cruelty, hopefully soon, concerned professionals and caring individuals alike will have a greater understanding of how violence toward animals begins and how to combat it. Below are brief summaries of just a few areas of predominate knowledge and theories behind acts of animal cruelty:

• Behavioral/Psychotic Disturbances: Many psychological theories have attempted to explain the possible causes of troubling human behavior that lead to animal cruelty/torture and violence against other humans. Often, considerations are made for extreme emotional and psychological traumas, and in recent decades, emphasis has been placed on studying disturbances to biological brain functions and development. Emerging information suggests that underdeveloped and/or improperly functioning parts of the brain related to behaviors such as impulse control and specific emotions such as empathy and anger may be the cause of some violent behaviors.

• The “Cycle of Violence”: Children of violent homes often experience or witness sexual, domestic, or animal abuse, and typically experience a combination of these. Sadly, as many of us know, a significant percentage of child abuse victims go onto become violent abusers themselves. Numerous studies of this “cycle of violence” repeatedly illustrate two predominant roles that animal cruelty plays in the cycle: (1) The adult abuser uses dominance and violence toward animals, typically house pets, as a psychological weapon to manipulate, threaten, control and hurt the human victims. (2) For many reasons, child abuse victims will often express their intense suffering through real or represented (stories, drawings) cruelty towards the same house pets or other animals. 

Sadly, it is when children willfully harm animals that their capacity to empathize is reduced and the cycle of violence—sexual, domestic, and/or animal—may begin again.

• Lack of Connection to Nature: As a moderately new field of professional study, ecopsychology uses tangible research to examine the relationships between humans and the natural world, and how these relationships influence human behavior toward individual living beings and the planet at large. Among many theories, ecopsychology suggests that people who do not have a relationship with the natural world in some form—even as simple as keeping a house plant—are less likely to understand, relate to, or empathize with plants and animals and their welfare. Simply put, a lack of connection to and understanding of other living beings creates a gap in which indifference and abuse could possibly develop.

• Culture, Religion, and the Media: Certainly, various cultural and religious beliefs can directly influence what is considered acceptable treatment of animals. For example, cruel dog-fighting schemes are significantly influenced by culture and tradition. The media often has a powerful influence as well. Be it real news coverage or fictional movies, how animal treatment is depicted by mainstream media sources can affect what society finds acceptable or not, and what impressionable young minds may choose to imitate.

These theories certainly do not encompass all the many factors that influence children and adults to act cruelly towards animals, nor are they simple and isolated from each other. In truth, the causes of animal cruelty and torture are complicated and often overlapping. It will take the strength and efforts of many professional spheres of our society to ultimately prevent and deter willful animal cruelty.

It is unfortunate that more lawmakers and law enforcement officials in our nation do not make the connection between animal cruelty and human violence. If they did, we might see stronger laws protecting animals and serious discipline for those who break the law. Too often, these cases are merely brushed aside by the legal system, and the perpetrators are given only lenient charges. Perpetrators receiving weak-to-no punishment not only pose a danger to animals and humans, but this lack of justice gives the impression that animals are worth little, if anything.

We as a society must take these acts of cruelty, however small, very seriously. We need to demand stronger sanctions for crimes against animals. We need to take a stand and proclaim that animal cruelty will not be disregarded. To ignore this violence only invites further violence.

Updated November 2009

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