Identidad therian desde la psicología clínica: diferenciación diagnóstica y función adaptativa
Elizabeth Cristina Mayorga-Aldaz, Byron Darío Núñez-Acosta, Kerly Dayana Cando-Cruz
CIENCIAMATRIA October 15, 2026 DOI: 10.35381/cm.v12i6.3346 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Therian individuals, as described in 8 reviewed studies |
| Key findings | Argues that therian identity is not a pathology per se: reviewed accounts indicate therian individuals retain reality testing, develop the identity in childhood, and show no functional impairment attributable to it, with more frequent autistic traits. Distress is associated with stigma, concealment, and species dysphoria. The authors propose criteria for differentiating therian identity from psychotic, dissociative, and neurodevelopmental disorders. |
Abstract
Therian identity, defined as a partial or internal identification with a non-human animal, is an emerging phenomenon that is not a diagnostic category in the DSM-5-TR or the ICD-11. The study therefore aimed to analyse therian identity from a clinical psychology perspective, establishing criteria for diagnostic differentiation from psychotic, dissociative and neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as its possible adaptive function. A PRISMA-guided systematic review was conducted, with a sample of 8 studies selected from 45 records. Therian individuals retained reality testing, developed the identity from childhood and showed no functional impairment attributable to it, with more frequent autistic traits, and distress was associated with stigma, concealment and species dysphoria. It was concluded that it is not a pathology per se.