Anyway, with that as a preface, I was looking up some information about therianthropy on WikiFur tonight because I was never truly sure what it was by definition. After reading it, I think I could declare myself a mild therian: I simply identify with a wolf as an animal that I occasionally take on traits of or act like, purely in a psychological sense. I am not one of the loonies who convinces him or herself that he or she can physically shift, nor do I associate any spirituality in the matter.
I guess in terms from the article, I undergo occasional "M-shifts," or mental shifts. Sometimes when I get angry, I feel like I keep the rage around a little longer simply because it makes me feel a connection with the attitude of a wolf. I also fabricate common connections to wolves, like the appetite for meat or desire for physical strength and freedom (I use the word 'fabricate' intentionally to insinuate a manufactured behavior; to me, any little thing I can do that is still enjoyable that feels lupine to me is something worth indulging in). Most of that, I feel, is locked away in me psychologically.
[Side note: Before I left for college from winter break, I actually typed up a 10 page essay that I wrote, which I read to my parents, that detailed my understanding of why I feel the way I do about wolves in a psychological manner. It had been bottling up in me for what, 18 years? I always felt "weird," if even "devious" when trying to show them my art about werewolves, or discuss why I liked them... so everything came out in a huge essay because I couldn't take it anymore. Classic notes of Freud's id and superego, repressed desires, paraphilias, and all that stuff most people seem to relate to. Luckily my parents really ARE those parents who you could go to if you did something horribly wrong, and they'd try to solve the problem quickly instead of chastising you for your mistakes. They understood pretty well and didn't mind.]
This is kind of rambling now, but I just wonder where therians draw the line when deciding what associations, behaviors, or preferences constitute the individual being able to call themselves a "therian." I guess after assembling some information and reflecting on how I feel, in a way I could consider myself therian. Thoughts or discussion are welcome.
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