Pets and the Family

by Marvin B Sussman

Overview

This major work summarizes the recent research and findings on the interactions of pets and their owners and the social and emotional benefits that may be derived by families who have pets. Social and health scientists explore the pervasiveness of the animal/human bond and the high prevalence of pets in U.S. households, including pets and children, pets and the elderly, pets as factors of stability and instability in family relationships, and pets as therapy for ill, grieving, and disabled family members. With this carefully researched book, researchers and family health professionals can better understand the complexities of family/animal interaction and can pursue further study into this increasingly important subject in contemporary society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780866563581
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/01/1985
Series:	Marriage and the Family Series
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Contents Pet/Human Bonding: Applications, Conceptual, and Research Issues

• Pets as Family Members
• The Social Meanings of Pets: Alternative Roles for Companion Animals
• Initiation and Maintenance of the Human-Animal Bond: Familial Roles From a Learning Perspective
• The Companion Animal in the Context of the Family System
• Pets and the Socialization of Children
• The Preadolescent/Pet Bond and Psychosocial Development
• Pets, Early Adolescents, and Families
• Pets and Family Relationships Among Nursing Home Residents
• The Death of a Pet: Human Responses to the Breaking of the Bond
• The Effects on Family Members and Functioning After the Death of a Pet
• Health, Aquariums, and the Non-Institutionalized Elderly
• Life in the Treehouse: Pet Therapy as Family Metaphor and Self-Dialogue
• Health Benefits of Pets for Families
• The Pet in the Military Family at Transfer Time: It Is No Small Matter
• A Historical, Interdisciplinary Analysis of the Animal and Human Social Ecosystem