Traditional pettism: The influence of pet ownership status, pet type, and pet properties on pet moral standing

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2023.01662

Abstract

Abstract:

The bond between humans and their pets is becoming ever closer, and the ethical status of pets is also evolving. This article examines how pet owner identity, pet type, and pet properties affect pet moral standing through three studies by dividing pets into traditional and non-traditional categories. The results showed that : (1) Traditional pets are seen as having a higher moral standing than non-traditional pets, which is explained by agency, sensitivity, and harmfulness. (2) Traditional pet owners consider traditional pets to have a higher moral standing than non-traditional pet owners, though there is no major difference in the moral standing of non-traditional pets between the two. (3) Animal Empathy was identified as a mediator between traditional pet attachment and traditional pet moral standing. These findings suggest that pets are viewed differently in terms of morality, which is manifested in traditional petism; and the relationship between pet owners and their pets is a major factor in promoting it.

Key words: moral standing, pet owners, pet, pet attachment, empathy

XU Kepeng, OU Qianqian, XUE Hong, LUO Dongli, ZHANG Shuyue, XU Yan. (2023). Traditional pettism: The influence of pet ownership status, pet type, and pet properties on pet moral standing. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 55(10), 1662-1676.

Figures/Tables 11

References 75

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Pet type	Pet ownership status	M	SD
Traditional pet	Traditional pet owners	4.42	0.46
	Non-traditional pet owners	4.05	0.84
	Non-owners	4.02	0.74
Non-traditional pet	Traditional pet owners	4.18	0.72
	Non-traditional pet owners	4.08	0.81
	Non-owners	3.78	0.73

Pet type	Pet ownership status	M	SD
Traditional pet	Traditional pet owners	4.42	0.46
	Non-traditional pet owners	4.05	0.84
	Non-owners	4.02	0.74
Non-traditional pet	Traditional pet owners	4.18	0.72
	Non-traditional pet owners	4.08	0.81
	Non-owners	3.78	0.73

Variable	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5
1 Pet type	0.50	0.50	1
2 Agency	3.01	0.58	?0.18**	1
3 Sensitivity	2.97	0.52	?0.16**	0.65**	1
4 Harmfulness	2.21	0.51	0.21**	?0.40**	?0.29**	1
5 Moral standing	4.07	0.75	?0.09	0.53**	0.43**	?0.35**	1

Variable	M	SD	1	2	3	4	5
1 Pet type	0.50	0.50	1
2 Agency	3.01	0.58	?0.18**	1
3 Sensitivity	2.97	0.52	?0.16**	0.65**	1
4 Harmfulness	2.21	0.51	0.21**	?0.40**	?0.29**	1
5 Moral standing	4.07	0.75	?0.09	0.53**	0.43**	?0.35**	1

Effect type	Effect	Boot SE	95% LLCI	95% ULCI	Ratio
Total effect	?0.14	0.09	?0.31	?0.03
Direct effect	0.05	0.08	?0.11	0.19
Agency indirect effect	?0.10	0.04	?0.18	?0.03	70.87%
Sensitivity indirect effect	?0.03	0.02	?0.08	?0.00	23.60%
Harmfulness indirect effect	?0.05	0.02	?0.10	?0.02	37.07%