Understanding the Dragon: What Makes People Do Bad Things?

Understanding the Dragon: What makes people do bad things?

The majority of individuals act against actions and behaviors they regard as unjust or immoral even though their actions many incur heavy personal costs. However, professionals responding to animal cruelty and human violence have noted that inhumane conduct is a growing human problem at both individual and collective levels.

This presentation will focus on the mechanisms by which people choose to behave humanely or inhumanely. By understanding those internal and external psychological and social forces that govern an individual's conduct and how these mechanisms function in the perpetration of cruelty practitioners can develop interventions that accentuate humane personal standards. The session will engage practitioners in the creation of client centered processes that enable people to do good things as well as refrain from doing bad things.

Maureen is a doctoral candidate at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Her dissertation focuses on the use of dogs during child maltreatment investigations. She developed and implemented Human Service-AAI technician track for Tri-County Community College and is adjunct faculty at Western Carolina University. As a macro practice social worker, Maureen developed volunteer training and animal screening process that has been implemented internationally. Currently, she assists clinicians with the selection and training of animals working in animal interaction applications and is a consultant in the development and implementation of mental health programs incorporating animals.