This essay will focus on the topic of personality in non-human animals. The paper begins by explaining the phenomena of personality in animals. Then, it provides information on what research has found about animal personality. The final section provides two personal examples about animal personality. These examples are about my own pets but in two different situations.
Question 1
Personality influences the way individuals think and perceive the surrounding world and it goes a long way in determining the way they live (Hess, 2011). Personality is a word used to imply some form of consistency in behavior. Humans are not the only species with personalities; animals have personalities too. Recently, scientists discovered that members of diverse species including fish, rats, crabs, cats, dogs and many more have unique dispositions that demonstrate consistent behaviors across varying situations. An animal that is extroverted or aggressive will obviously become stable in these traits over time. Animals do not change their behaviors abruptly.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In recent years, scientists confirmed that each animal has its distinct behavior and personality (Lesley, 2012). Empirical studies have documented that over 60 different animal species, from rodents to primates, insects and even fish, exhibit individual differences in traits like shyness and aggression. According to the available scientific evidence, there exists an evolutionary base behind the differences in personality between individuals of similar species. Moreover, animal personality is all about a compromise between risky and safe behavior (Hess, 2011).
This explains why species with genetically innate and straightforward behavior like ants and snails, exhibit individual personalities. Pet lovers, farmers and others who spend time with animals understand that non-human animals often differ sharply in temperament and character. However, it is only recently that it became evident that personalities are a common occurrence in the animal world. It is no surprise that animals as diverse such as squids, mice and spiders do have personalities. I believe animals have personalities because they exhibit unique behaviors just as individuals do. In fact, psychologists and biologists have discovered that, animal personality will go a long way in helping to save the endangered species. At the same time, personality will be useful in determining the way diseases are spread from animals to human beings.
Question 2
The field of animal personality has attracted significant research attention starting with Ivan Pavlov’s experiment. Pavlov used the Hippocratic theory to identify personality types in dogs (Lesley, 2012). According to him, we can identify four different types of temperament in humans. These are sanguine, melancholic, choleric and phlegmatic. Pavlov argues that dogs with each of these sorts of temperament exhibit different behaviors because their nervous systems were built differently. His experiment made major contributions to subsequent researches that reveal similarities in personalities between humans and animals. Research on human personality has identified a number of traits such as extraversion and neuroticism (Briffa & Weiss, 2010). These traits have also been identified in researches focusing on animal personality, predominantly in primates. Even traits that seem to be uniquely human like psychopathy and consciousness are equally parallel in animals.
Emerging studies found that personality exists throughout the entire non-human animal kingdom. Currently, evolutionary biologists, behavioral biologists and psychologists have focused their attention on studying the phenomena of animal personality. These scholars suggest that it is important to understand personality in animals because it helps reduce human verses animal conflicts. This implies that conservation plans have been implemented to protect or re-introduce many animal species such as cougars and wolves in the world. at times, success in these initiatives may spark rivalries between these large carnivores and ranchers.
Due to the widespread advocacy to protect large carnivores, some scholars suggest that, rather, the focus should be on problem persons (Lesley, 2012). These are individuals who repeatedly attack and kill animals. Today, attacking animals, especially ranchers’ animals, is a risky undertaking. Predators should go through any fencing erected and then risk being killed by pro-livestock humans. Another set of problem individuals include carnivores that constantly attack ranchers’ livestock. Such carnivores are perceived to display personality traits related to boldness.
Alexander Weiss, a scientist also took his time to find out about animals, specifically orangutans. He studied them for seven years and he discovered two personalities. A section of the animals exhibited low chances of having neurotic tendencies, alongside features of extraversion. He concluded that the animals were happy, while those outside the zoo demonstrated opposite behaviors. He made observations that, the happier animals lived longer, for over eleven years. In his conclusion, the behaviorist concluded that, by understanding nonhuman personalities, conflicts between animals and humans.
Question 3
The first personal example is about my cat, which recently changed its personality. For a long time, my cat has been an only child. So, early this year, I decided to adopt a second cat into my family. But, soon I noticed that the first cat started exhibiting personality traits of a Velcro cat (Briffa & Weiss, 2010). For instance, it suddenly became enormously needy, attention seeker, highly affectionate and incredibly cuddly. The cat developed new behaviors such as often following me around the home, becoming upset when I leave home, sitting and sleeping consistently besides me and at times, it even cried in order to grab attention from my family members. Though I appreciate and love my first cat, I found this new Velcro personality a bit concerning because I have to worry when I leave the cat alone at home. This is even worse when I have to stay away from home for long hours; the cat becomes incredibly lonely.
The change I am talking about is an antisocial attitude towards me compared to before I introduced the new cat. At times, the first cat refuses to be petted, be picked up, becomes agitated at me for trying to be affectionate to it. However, before I brought in the second cat, the first cat always loved this kind of attention. Here, the most important thing to note is that many behavioral changes happened to my first cat immediately after introducing the second cat. The cat continued to develop numerous issues ranging from refusing to eat to crying when it is sad because it did not want the new addition to the family. Nevertheless, it is important to pay particular attention to such behavioral changes in cats. This is especially because they can be a sign that the cat is experiencing something serious apart from stress. What I want to highlight is the fact that the introduction of the second cat brought about something different in the house. The first cat was an only child and the introduction of a second cat made it to undergo a major personality change from being overly cuddly to being antisocial to its caregivers.
The second personal example that I will talk about with regards to animal personality is my dog. I have named it Rex. Recently, I learned that Rex inherited my personality. To be precise, Rex and I do share similar traits that he developed by being in my company. I think this is just similar to how kids learn to navigate different world environments by observing their parents. And indeed, my dog has inherited my anxious personality trait. Of course, this did not occur genetically, but rather as a result of sharing my space. Though Rex is a hardcore extrovert that gets excited by almost anything (this is unlike me), he is also very suspicious and stubborn just like me. This is not a coincidence. According to a research published in the Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery , dogs tend to pick up certain traits from their owners such as social and coping skills. Just like me, Rex is naturally anxious too. The study above explains that attachment classification is a key predictor of the caregiver’s reliability and sensitivity. Sensitive pet owners interact thoughtfully with their pets and fully understand their needs. Therefore, since I am low in sensitivity, I have ended up with a dog that has an insecure attachment style. Perhaps, my dog has fully adopted several of my personality traits. As a pet parent, I have learned that I am basically a mirror for my dog.
References
Briffa, M., & Weiss, A. (November 01, 2010). Animal personality. Current Biology, 20, 21.)
Hess, L. (March 01, 2011). Exotic Animals: Appropriately Owned Pets or Inappropriately Kept Problems?. Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 25, 1, 50-56.
Lesley, E. O. (June 01, 2012). Do Animals Have Personality?: The importance of individual differences. Bioscience, 62, 6, 533-537.
