“Phil's Calling Grandma… ”

The Role of External Support in Human–Companion Animal Identity Pairings

Bibliographic Data

ID17570960
AuthorsAndrea Laurent‐simpson (0000-0002-7261-9860, Texas Woman's University, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume40
Issue2
Pages212-228
Publication date2017-02-28
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSymbolic Interaction (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0195-6086 • E-ISSN: 1533-8665
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/symb.281
OpenAlexW2591748607
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited27

This exploratory paper deals with human–animal role identity pairings such as parent–child or sibling–sibling and the necessity of support from other actors both for the formation of these idiosyncratic identities, as well as for their situational placement in social environments not limited to the nonhuman animal. Taken from a qualitative study examining identity formation counter to the nonhuman animal, I use in‐depth interviews of both people with and without human children to demonstrate how human‐to‐human relationships are formed by categorizing the companion animal as a “child” of sorts within the family structure. These relationships prove integral to the continued development and enactment of identities such as the animal “parent” or the animal “sibling” via three different groups: their own parents, partners, and, in one case, adult siblings. This creates positive affect and commitment to the identity across other social situations. Implications of these findings for identity theory and family research are discussed

Biology · Companion animal · Developmental psychology · Human animal · Livestock · Sibling · Situational ethics · Social group · Social identity theory · Sociology · Communication · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Human-Animal Interaction Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Ecology

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