1 Module 11 Dissertation Irene Perrett 16/5/18 'An Investigation
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Module 11 Dissertation Irene Perrett 16/5/18 ‘An investigation concerning the quality of trust and how this enhances the wellbeing of those involved, with particular reference to enabling the bond of trust between a Romanian rescue dog and his carer.’ 1 Index Preface 3 Acknowledgements 4 Aims and objectives 4 Introduction 5 Literature Review: The psychological and physiological states 6 The influence of stress 7 Calmness 9 Seeking trust 11 Methodology 16 Ethical statement 18 Reflexivity 18 Research 19 Discussion 27 Conclusion 31 Reference List 32 Bibliography 39 Appendix 1- Walter’s story 47 Appendix II - Interview questions 48 Appendix III - Survey questions & survey results 49 Appendix IV- Romania 52 Photographs Title page & figure 12 courtesy of Irene Perrett Figures 1 – 8 & 10 courtesy of Lucy Cooper Figure 9 courtesy of Matthew Cooper 2 Preface Trust: ‘A firm belief in the reliability, truth or ability of someone or something’ (Oxford Dictionaries, 2018). My inspiration for this dissertation are my own rescue dogs, to gain their trust and to continue to learn many of life’s lessons from them has taken me on a journey of self-discovery. Though I have lived and worked with animals all my life, my understanding of their needs, their sentience and emotional state has developed as I have learnt to observe the subtleties of their language and the sensitivity of their communication. Instead of instigating a conversation with an agenda they have taught me the value of empathy and compassion, and an awareness of how my energy, thoughts and silent language can enhance the relationship between us. It took time to learn to listen, really listen, and to adjust my beliefs. To see beyond the animal in front of me, the behaviours and reactions, and start to recognise that these are peripheral to the deeper emotions that truly represent an animal’s soul. Only through trust can any being allow another to touch those emotions which lie hidden within us, but once awakened we can express joy, friendship, love and laughter. To be given this gift is precious. ‘When weary with the long day’s care, And earthly change from pain to pain, And lost and ready to despair, Thy kind voice calls me back again: Oh, my true friend! I am not lone, While thou canst speak with such a tone!’ (Bronte, 1846, p.96). 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank those who have helped me in the creation of this dissertation, your support has been invaluable; I’d also like to thank the rescue dogs who have inspired us all to look deeper into our hearts to find the bond of trust. Aims and objectives The aims for this investigation are; To obtain and analyse information, concepts and studies concerned with the understanding of trust, and to investigate why trust plays a vital role in harmonious co-existence, and mental and physical wellbeing. To recognise how we as carers can enable further advancement in building and maintaining a trustful relationship with a Romanian rescue dog. The objectives; • To investigate the concept of trust. • To examine how trust can enhance a relationship, and to study the effects that a trusting relationship has on developing positive emotions and behaviour. • To explore different methods which enable us to develop trust. • To utilise the findings to construct a holistic approach to creating continued and enduring trust. 4 Introduction From my observations, when a dog finds himself in a position of vulnerability with limited choices to express himself in ways that have allowed him to survive and grow in the past, he will inevitably need to adopt different behaviours in order to cope with his emotions and the challenges he faces. For this study I am using the experience I have gained with Walter, my own Romanian dog, as an example (Appendix 1). Every dog is unique, and over the years each of my own dogs has been a special part of my life but to me there was something about Walter which was different. George Eliot said that ‘Those who trust us educate us’ (Eliot, 1876, p 236) and though it took many months to earn his trust, the journey to that moment and beyond has been one of immeasurable learning. The very nature of an investigation into a quality such as trust will raise questions about what is trust, why do we need to feel and give trust, and what enhances or blocks the ability to trust? This is both a study and a personal exploration in to the quality of trust between dogs and humans. In this dissertation I will first review the literature that I have consulted in designing my research in order to examine current findings in reference to the psychological and physiological aspects of trust and their implications, and in seeking and creating trust. Secondly I will explain the methods I have chosen to use and describe the process for collecting data. I will then present the findings of each of my methods and discuss these findings from each set of data. Finally I will draw all the results together and discuss what this adds to our current knowledge about the development of trust between dog and carer. The purpose of this investigation is to explore the quality of trust and how it enhances the wellbeing of our Romanian rescue dog. Being neither a canine professional nor an academic my investigation is taken from the perspective of a carer. The word science comes from the Latin scire which means to know (Oxford Dictionaries, 2018). It is a quest for understanding and knowledge to discover truth. I hope this dissertation will help to enhance our awareness and perception of the quality of trust through the interrelationship between science and our own humanity. 5 Literature Review Psychological and physiological states. Firstly I’d like to investigate what happens within the body that allows us to feel trust, and explore the variables which make our acceptance of trust individual to each of us. Though there are obvious differences between the human brain and those of other species, the similarities of how our brains and bodies work are becoming increasingly recognised and studied. It is difficult to separate our psychological and physiological states, both work together and influence one another to the extent that if one part of us is out of balance it effects our whole being. However, as individuals, our bodies and minds are influenced by our genetics, our past experiences, the environment in which we live and our individual personalities. Even at cellular level we may react differently depending on previous learning and how we have adapted to cope with various situations. Though we can develop an understanding of a general concept of cause and effect within ourselves, we need to remain aware of the possibility of alternative reactions. This highlights why it is essential to be able to gain an ability to observe, listen and empathise with those we wish to develop the bond of trust, and to discover the essence of connection between us that creates the first tentative steps towards allowing, and seeking that bond. This will be discussed further to show how inter-human bonding can be extended to the relationship of a carer and rescue dog. How we process thought will influence our outlook and feelings. We can observe a link between empathy, intuition, and trust, and out physical responses through heartrate, breathing, touch and introceptive awareness. Gu et al (2012) describe empathy as an awareness and understanding of the sensory and emotional states of others, which involves perspective and social understanding. In part it is regulated by a region in the brain called the right supramarginal gyrus, an area of the cerebral cortex, which allows us to distinguish our own emotional state from that of others and promotes feelings of empathy and compassion (Silani et al., 2013). The critical neural substrate for emotion and interoception is the anterior insular cortex, which is associated with multiple functions including cardiovascular function, respiration, sensory and interoceptive awareness, emotional and cognitive processing, empathy, intuition, unfairness, risk, trust and cooperation (Gu et al., 2013). The insular cortex works in conjunction with a network of regions including the anterior cingulate cortex, the somatosensory cortex and the amygdala, though emotional feelings can originate from the brainstem and hypothalamus which then become enriched and refined by the insular cortex (Damaio et al., 2013). Research has shown different areas of brain activity relating to empathetic processes regarding pain, negative and positive emotions, with no activity shown in the anterior cingulate cortex when processing positive emotions (Gu et al., 2013). It’s been suggested that intuitive perception involves 6 both the heart and the brain, and possibly other areas of the body. McCraty et al (2004) found that when measuring brain and heart activity in humans, both appear to receive and respond to information about future emotional stimulus before experiencing that stimulus. Our nervous system is comprised of over one hundred billion neurons, each are connected to around ten thousand other cells creating approximately one thousand trillion connections in the brain. These are made either through chemical or electrical signals. Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers which transmit the signals and interact with receptors located in the brain and body via the nervous system and assist in regulating the processes throughout the body (Scheiderer, 2018). Neurotransmitters work to stimulate an action or inhibit an impulse, excitatory neurotransmitters