Trust is hard-earned and easily lost. The choices we make matter!
This article is a brief review of the likely consequences of our actions concerning the operant quadrant. (Our choices in shaping future behaviour)
Negative reinforcement R-, Negative punishment P-, Positive punishment P+ and Positive reinforcement R+
Have you ever sat back and contemplated that you just handled a situation in the wrong way? The realisation that you just messed up big time or regret the words you chose to use or the actions you just took? What will be the lasting consequence of that moment in time and how will it affect the future relationship and behaviour with that person, child or colleague?
What on earth did you just do?
Did you choose harsh and hurtful words that hurt the receiver emotionally? Were you lying about something? (Self-protection or Resource guarding) Could it be that you took something away from another person which you knew would feel punishing? (P-) or some physical action where you lashed out, struck, hit, poked or worse? Every single one of us knows that physical abuse hurts in 2 ways– through the actual pain inflicted as well as the emotional pain and fallout felt afterwards. (P+)
Choices!
Thinking back on your actions, assess how your choices made you feel at the time. Were you dominating because you could? I guess it must have felt good at the time! Did your choice stem from frustration or fear on your part? Were you protecting something or someone else? Were you withholding something from someone on purpose, knowing that it would have a desired, punishing effect? Were you reacting against something they did to you or that you had perceived that they had done to you? Were you trying to make that person do something against their will? (R-)
Now let’s think about how many choices you actually had!
Was the situation in your control or was it the fear of losing control which instigated your choices in reaction? What exactly made you want to gain power over that other person?
Turn all this around into the place of the receiver. Has this happened to you? How did it make you feel? Does the memory still haunt you even after years have passed by? Given a similar environment or stimuli, will it make you behave in a certain way or feel sad, fearful or emotional? (classical conditioning)
All these scenarios are happening in our human world all of the time.
How do we decide to treat each other? How do we react to situations we find ourselves in? What reactions spring to mind when you feel unfairly treated or have had something taken off you with no choice? What are those powerful feelings which happen when someone is bullying or dominating you? Do you feel angry (rage) or would you shut down and try to let it simply wash over the top of you? What makes you feel the need to protect something or someone? Social bonding and care for others will trigger the need to show defensive actions and words.
Trust is hard-earned and easily lost.
The choices we make will always have a ripple effect like dropping a stone in still water. They will touch into and effect future relationships, interactions and behaviour.
In my world of horse (and animal) training, I see all of the above scenarios running all of the time with how we treat our pets – especially the domineering way horses are endemically treated and trained. I see how historical experiences and associations drive unwanted behaviour (reactions) in horses all the time. I see how badly humans handle a horse who is reactive, scared, angry or frustrated. The hard-held belief that we need to master or dominate horses, is the main criteria endemic worldwide. Why do we humans feel the need to behave this way- BECAUSE WE CAN!
I’m saddened by how very common it is for the human to assume that a horse is being “awkward”, “stupid”, “doing it on purpose” or “naughty”, when none of those labels are true in behaviour terms. They are very unfair. Absolutely none of that terminology applies to animals. It is not in their psyche to think in those anthropomorphic ways. They react to environments immediately associated with their consequences to them based on primal survival drive, self-protection or historical associations (memories).
The more violent we humans are with horses, the more harm we cause and the worse the predictable future behaviour will become. Somehow, we still have the right to carry and use whips on horses. The racing industry is all about legal abuse by its allowed use of “riding out with whips” to the finish post. Heaven forbid you ever see humans being whipped to make them work harder or see a dog being beaten as you drive by. Those scenarios are illegal.
Humans are such a dominant species– just look at our histories of war-making and killing. The rape of our planet for money, to which we are now really paying the price, despite decades of unheeded warnings. Every single day 100 species are being wiped off the face of the earth forever. What gives us the right?
Animals do not make war. They do not behave as we do yet they suffer the outcomes of our dominance in every single way and all of the time. This is because they have no power. Our processes in farming animals for their meat, especially live transport abroad and the whole mass slaughter industry are endemic in cruelty and all based on making maximum profit. The animals have no choice in their fate yet it is theirs to suffer.
This article is about giving you all some food for thought. Can we change our behaviour enough to make the lives of our helpless animals better? All animals everywhere are powerless because it is we who hold all the power.
The Kept Animal Bill
Could we possibly grant animals sentiency in law? Here in the UK, there is a huge public push towards that goal but our politicians refuse to listen because it will cost the country too much money. Granting all animals in our care the recognition of sentiency is the one most amazing and massive outcome which would, could or should, make a huge difference to the quality of life of all our animals- the whole pet industry, the entire farmed animal process and the entire equine industry. It would strengthen welfare laws enormously and increase our Law Courts and magistrates’ power for sentencing offenders.
Could we ever give power to our most vulnerable species to enable all animals to have the same rights of a safe, pleasurable and pain-free life as we human overlords?