PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS FILLED BY AVIAN COMPANIONS

Pets are immensely popular in this country. However, the complex natur e of human-animal interactions and the importance of these animals in everyday lives are not yet thoroughly understood. The human psychologi cal needs that pet birds fulfill are even less understood than the rol e of other pets, such as dogs and cats. To compile a list of psycholog ical needs filled by avian companions, 80 bird owners were asked to co mplete a survey that explored the nature of their relationships with t heir birds in everyday situations. Results revealed that avian compani ons most often filled human social needs, followed to a lesser degree by esteem and cognitive needs. The profile of human psychological need s filled by pet birds provides additional rationale and criteria for t he use of pet birds in animal-assisted therapy and pet visitation prog rams.