Animal psychology

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The terms animal psychology or veterinary psychology have experienced an extremely changeable change in values ​​in the 20th century. In the German-speaking world, at the end of the 19th century, they achieved temporary scientific importance in a deliberately set analogy to “human psychology ”, when researchers increasingly tried to analyze, understand and respond to the inner experience of animals. In the late 1930s, animal psychology was included as a separate field in the bibliographical subdivisions of the university's psychology in Germany and was located close to developmental biology. For decades, however, “animal psychology” has no longer had any connection with human psychology, and today behavioral researchers and psychologists alike understand the term as misleading.

Historical development

David Friedrich Weinland was already using the term animal psychology in 1858 when he presented proposals for a systematic, comparative study of animal behavior at the 12th annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science . Gustav Theodor Fechner presented in Volume 2 of his work Elements of Psychophysics, for example, reflections on the seat of the soul , in which the nervous system of humans, pigeons and rabbits as well as echinoderms were argued equally . In his work The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals , published in 1872 , Charles Darwin also gave suggestions for comparative empirical behavioral studies under evolutionary biological aspects. In the first half of the 20th century it was biologists such as Oskar Heinroth and Katharina Heinroth , Otto Koehler , Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz who initially referred to their field of work as animal psychology , but later also as ethology or comparative behavioral research . For comparative animal psychology, on the other hand, which was about comparative research on certain problems in humans and animals (such as intelligence, problem-solving behavior, use of tools, etc.), the work of Gestalt psychologists such as Wolfgang Köhler and Mathilde applies in terms of content and method Hertz and David Katz as pioneering achievements. In the 1920s and 1930s, for example, Bastian Schmid published on "the tasks of animal psychology" and "the psychology of our pets" as well as Friedrich Alverdes on "animal psychology in its relationships with human psychology" and Wilhelm Betz on the psychology of animals and People .

The development of "animal psychology" into an independent subject at universities was promoted in the 1940s by the Army High Command , to whom Werner Fischel, for example, owed his lectureship in animal psychology at the University of Leipzig in 1941 ; it was the first such post in Germany. As early as 1936, representatives of the army dog ​​system at the Reich Ministry of War and other government agencies participated in the establishment of the German Society for Animal Psychology . The background to this support was also that at that time many psychologists assumed that children, “primitives”, “mentally ill” and animals had a common, quasi-original mental state of human beings. In addition, it should not be overlooked that hundreds of horses were still used in cavalry departments on the German side during the Second World War , which is why the later Frankfurt zoo director Bernhard Grzimek had the opportunity to study the color perception and homing ability of military horses in the midst of the war as a veterinarian with the Wehrmacht to prepare and publish.

After his return from Soviet captivity, from 1949 Konrad Lorenz deliberately avoided using the label animal psychology for comparative behavioral research, as this term had meanwhile acquired the smell of a mere hobby and, moreover, was politically tainted by its proximity to National Socialist racial doctrine. Instead, he and his colleagues now exclusively used the term ethology , which sounded “more scientific”, or even the term behavioral physiology (although at least Lorenz never did physiological research); as early as 1902 the word ethology had been introduced into the English-speaking world by William Morton Wheeler as ethology and had gradually gained international acceptance. The magazine for animal psychology founded in 1937 , alongside Behavior and Animal Behavior for decades the most important specialist publication in behavioral biology, was only renamed "Ethology" in 1985.

To the extent that the instinct theory, which emerged from traditional comparative behavioral research, was viewed as outdated due to more recent behavioral and behavioral ecological and neurobiological findings, many behavioral researchers began using the term ethology less and less and replaced it with the more neutral one perceived term behavioral biology .

From the point of view of human psychology, the term animal psychology is questionable at best. Psychology is the science of the experience, behavior and consciousness of people (their psyche). Since only behavior can be observed in animals , the terms ethology and behavioral biology are more precise.

Nonetheless, the term animal psychology has been experiencing a resurgence in recent years.

Education and job title

Animal psychologist is not a protected job title: anyone can call themselves that, training is not mandatory. Accordingly, the quality of the services offered varies widely.

The professional title psychologist and the academic degree of a qualified psychologist are legally protected in Germany and may only be used there by graduates of the university course in psychology . In Germany, the title of qualified animal psychologist may not be used because it is confused with an academic degree , as the title of diploma is reserved for universities due to state laws.

For veterinarians there is the possibility of an internationally recognized additional training as a specialist in behavioral medicine. For this purpose, the title Diplomate of the European College for Veterinary Behavioral Medicine - Companion Animals (DECVBM-CA) is awarded.

In contrast to this, the term “animal psychologist” is not protected in Germany and is therefore freely used, especially by trainers in dog schools . There is no state-recognized study of animal psychology . Offers as courses or distance learning courses are purely private and do not include any state qualifications.

As a rule, there are independent service providers who call themselves animal psychologists and provide assistance for dog, cat and horse owners if their animals show inappropriate behavior . By precisely analyzing the behavior from animal to animal or from person to animal and animal to person, some of them can show which changes in people and animals can correct the abnormal behavior of animals. Successful implementation in behavioral practice requires precise knowledge of the animals' instinctual behavior as well as the mechanisms of behavior formation through learning ( conditioning ).

However, there are also many self-proclaimed “alternative animal healers” among the providers of corresponding services who practice as “ animal healers ”, “animal homeopaths”, “animal therapists” and also as “animal psychologists” without being able to prove a sound behavioral biology training.

literature

  • Britt von den Berg: The "New Animal Psychology" and its scientific representatives (from 1900 to 1945). Inaugural dissertation to obtain the degree of doctor of veterinary medicine (Dr. med. Vet.) By the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover 2008, ISBN 978-3-86504-258-3 and pdf digital copy

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Friedrich Weinland : A method of comparative animal psychology. In: Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Volume 12, 1859, pp. 256-266.
  2. ^ Gustav Theodor Fechner : Elements of psychophysics. Volume 2. Breitkopf and Härtel, Leipzig 1860, p. 396 f.
  3. ↑ Kressley, Regina A. (2007): Gestalt Psychology: Its Paradigm-Shaping Influence on Animal Psychology. Gestalt Theory, 28 (3), 259-269; Hartung, Gerald & Matthias Wunsch (2016): Animal research in the horizon of Gestalt theory . Wolfgang Köhler's experiments on the behavior of chimpanzees. In: M. Böhnert, K. Köchy, M. Wunsch (Eds.), Philosophy of Animal Research. Volume 1: Methods and Programs , Freiburg - Munich
  4. ↑ Bastian Schmid: From the tasks of animal psychology. Publishing house Gebrüder Borntraeger, 1921.
  5. ↑ Bastian Schmid: On the psychology of our pets. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1939 (= Frankfurt books. Research and teaching. Volume 4).
  6. ↑ Friedrich Alverdes : The animal psychology in their relations to the psychology of humans. Leipzig 1932.
  7. ^ Wilhelm Betz: On the psychology of animals and people. Leipzig 1927.
  8. ↑ A comprehensive compilation of specialist literature on animal psychology in German, English and French from the first third of the 20th century can be found under the heading Animals in: Index-Catalog of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office, United States Army (Army Medical Library). Authors and Subjects. Fourth Series, Vol. 1, Aaron-Azzi Leal, Washington 1936, p. 503-504.
  9. ^ Judgment of the Regional Court of Bochum of November 7, 2006, Az. 15 O 110/06 and judgment of the Hamm Higher Regional Court of June 12, 2007, Az. 4 U 196/06
  10. ↑ One example of the comparable higher education laws of the federal states is the Berlin Higher Education Act: “The term 'Diplom', 'Master', 'Bachelor' or similar is associated with a degree that is obtained after completing a degree at a state or state-recognized university or university of applied sciences was acquired through examination. According to § 34 BerlHG, only a state or state-recognized university is entitled to award such a university degree. 'Diploma certificates' which are awarded by institutes that are not entitled to award the degree do not entitle the holder to use the corresponding title. " (Senate Department for Education, Youth and Science - Berlin.de: Recognition of degrees. Frequently asked questions (FAQ) .) ( Memento from September 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive )