Sometimes TF in fiction is an escape from humanity, and sometimes, transformation bolsters a character's humanity as they struggle to hang on to what's left of it.

I imagine that if people really could be TFed into animals/things, a realistic reaction would be just like if they'd been hit by a truck: terror, a struggle to regain a sense of normalcy, then living a new life. TF would become another kind of injury among many others. Imagine Occupational Therapists who specialize in helping TF victims regain some independence. Support groups. Assistive devices that help four-legged people open doors and bathe themselves, or help the speech-impaired communicate.

In some TF stories characters happily step up into their new lives, becoming foxes, cows, living sex dolls, etc. That's fine. But even if you think being a fox is great, you still lose at least something (You can't play Xbox with those paws!).