  The large scale (~ 100 kpc) environments of Seyfert galaxies are not
significantly different from those of non-Seyfert galaxies. In the context of
the interaction model of the formation of active galactic nuclei (AGN), it has
been proposed that AGN form via "minor mergers" of large disk galaxies with
smaller companions. We test this hypothesis by comparing the nuclear spectra of
105 bright nearby galaxies with measurements of their R or r band morphological
asymmetries at three successive radii. We find no significant differences in
these asymmetries between the 13 Seyfert galaxies in the sample and galaxies
having other nuclear spectral types (absorption, H II-region like, LINER), nor
is there strong qualitative evidence that such mergers have occured among any
of the Seyferts or LINERs. Thus either any minor mergers began > 1 Gyr ago and
are essentially complete, or they did not occur at all, and AGN form
independently of any type of interaction. Support for the latter interpretation
is provided by the growing evidence that supermassive black holes exist in the
cores of most elliptical and early-type spiral galaxies, which in turn suggests
that nuclear activity represents a normal phase in the evolution of the bulges
of massive galaxies. Galaxy mergers may increase the luminosity of Seyfert
nuclei to the level of QSOs, which could explain why the latter objects appear
to be found in rich environments and in interacting systems.
