Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cruelty To Animals: Changing Psychological, Social, And Legislative Perspectives, Frank R. Ascione, Randall Lockwood

State of the Animals 2001

Society is looking for new tools and resources to employ in the efforts to combat violence, identify real or potential perpetrators at an early stage, and define actions that might predict or prevent violent behavior. Closer examination of cruelty to animals within the framework of family and societal violence offers an opportunity to explore violence outside of the traditional nature–nurture debate over the origins of aggression. Cruelty to animals represents an objectively definable behavior that occurs within a societal context. It also represents a good measure of the interaction between the behavior of which an individual is intrinsically capable and …