Psychological predictors of bystander reactions to the abuse of animals and humans

While bystander reactions to violence against humans have been well studied, less is known about how people react to animal abuse. We studied whether the same psychological predictors are relevant to reactions to the abuse of animals and humans. We examined the role of Dark Tetrad traits (Narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadism), ideologies of superiority (social dominance orientation and speciesism – the belief in human superiority over non-human animals), as well as moral disengagement, self-efficacy, and descriptive social norms in predicting reactions to animal and child abuse. In a survey study (N = 518), participants indicated their general reactions to animal abuse as well as how they would react in a situation depicting the abuse of a dog and a child. The general reactions to animal abuse were best predicted by the Dark traits and the endorsement of the ideologies of superiority, most significantly, sadism and speciesism. Both animal and child abuse elicited high and comparable levels of distress and active response intentions. In addition to the general predictors mentioned above, bystander reactions in the case of animal abuse were predicted by lower moral disengagement and perceived self-efficacy, while it was moral disengagement alone that predicted reactions to child abuse. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the relevant psychological aspects of reactions to violence and empowering citizens to react more actively to abuse and violence.