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Humans and Pets and Attachment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

E. K. Rynearson
E. K. Rynearson*
Affiliation:
Section of Psychiatry, The Mason Clinic, 1100 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98101
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Summary

The bond between human and pet depends on their commonality as animals and their mutual need for attachment. Under abnormal circumstances of developmental frustration a human may displace an overdetermined need for attachment to the pet. The attachment relationship is pathological because of its defensive purpose, and its interruption can create enduring psychiatric reactions. The paper details the developmental determinants for this interaction.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 133 , Issue 6 , December 1978 , pp. 550 - 555
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1978 

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