Therianthropy; the integration of animal and human identities (2024)

FAQs

Therianthropy; the integration of animal and human identities? ›

Therianthropy describes the phenomenon in which a person identifies as a nonhuman animal. Therianthropes (or therians) fully acknowledge that they have a human body, but on some internal and integral level, and to varying degrees, they view themselves as an animal or animals.

Therianthropy is the belief that one is part non-human animal. The theriotypes experienced traverse all species and can be extinct or extant. Opinions vary in the academic literature as to whether it is a mental illness or a spiritual belief. However in the West it is almost always placed within the psychiatric arena.

Other research, conducted by Helen Clegg of the UK's University of Northampton, suggests that some therians may have higher levels of schizotypy, or schizotypal personality disorder. STPD is a condition marked by intense discomfort with social interactions and personal relationships.

However being a therian moderated the relationship between both autism and introverted anhedonia in relation to autonomy. Thus a therian identity may act as a protective factor for those experiencing higher levels of autism and schizotypy.

Although the classic use of the term therianthropy in myths and archaeological artefacts indicates actual physical changes to a human- non-human animal hybrid, the therian community today is clear that physical transformation is an impossibility.

Oddly enough, though, the closest we have for a general word containing the meaning of half-human, half-beast hybrid is "therianthrope," which generally refers to a shapeshifter, someone who is entirely human for part of the time and entirely animal for the other part.

Therians don't just identify with animals; they identify as them. You may like (or even love) a specific animal or species of animal, but that doesn't mean that animal is your theriotype.

In general, furries are individuals who say they are furries. Therians are individuals who believe they are not completely human and instead identify as a species of non-human animal. Otherkin are individuals who believe they are not completely human and, instead identify as a mythical or fantasy-based being.

Background: Lycanthropy is an unusual belief or delusion in which the patient thinks that he/she has been transformed into an animal. In rare cases, the patient believes that another person has been transformed into an animal.

Species dysphoria is the experience of dysphoria and dysmorphia involving the belief of one's body being the wrong species. A person may not be happy with their body image and may hallucinate or think of themselves as an animal of some sort.

What animal is associated with autism? ›

Behaviors in mice and rats can be directly related to the three core symptoms of autism: (i) deficits in social interaction (e.g., 3 chamber assay or analysis of videotapes), (ii) deficits in communication (e.g., ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) or scent marking), and (iii) increased repetitive/stereotyped motor ...

Pet attachment, she continues, is related to better mental health in autistic individuals (17:15). The study also found that autistic people use relationships with pets to compensate for social avoidance experienced as a result of social difficulties (16:15).

Much research has been done into the use of a rat model to show how Borna virus infection, exposure to valproic acid in utero, and maternal immune activation may cause autism. Another goal of the use of rodent models to study autism is to identify the mechanism by which autism develops in humans.

The term "therian" refers to people who identify as an animal of the natural world. The species of animal a therian identifies as is called a theriotype.

Evolution. The earliest known therian mammal fossil is Juramaia, from China's Late Jurassic (Oxfordian stage). However, the age estimates of the site are disputed based on the geological complexity and the geographically widespread nature of the Tiaojishan Formations.

The most popular form of Therianthropy is called Lycanthropy which is exclusive to a human being's ability to shape-shift into a wolf. Some examples of therianthropy include wolves, hyenas, tasmanian devils, dinosaurs, snakes and frogs.

It is thought by some Therians that having been an animal in a past life has altered the nature of the soul's energy or vibration which thus has an impact on their current life and identity. The animal soul that now inhabits the human body may cause shifts, during which behaviors are more animalistic and instinctual.

In general, furries are individuals who say they are furries. Therians are individuals who believe they are not completely human and instead identify as a species of non-human animal. Otherkin are individuals who believe they are not completely human and, instead identify as a mythical or fantasy-based being.

In the philosophical subdiscipline of ontology, animalism is a theory of personal identity that asserts that humans are animals. The concept of animalism is advocated by philosophers Eric T. Olson, Peter van Inwagen, Paul Snowdon, Stephan Blatti, David Hershenov and David Wiggins.