evolutionary explanation

• Evolutionary Explanation - a biological theory that sees genes for aggressive behaviours as acted upon by natural selection to become more widespread in a population due to their adaptive survival value
• Evolutionary psychologists argue that aggression - this ability to fight for resources - would be attractive to women because offspring would be protected
• Sexual jealousy is a major motivator of aggressive behaviour in males, which can be given the evolutionary explanation that unlike women, men can never be sure that they are the father
• Paternity uncertainty is a result of the very real threat for the male of cuckoldry. Men don't want to raise children who aren't theirs.
• Psychological mechanisms have evolved to increase anti-cuckoldry behaviours in males - this has then led to often aggressive strategies men employ to prevent their partner from straying
• Mate Retention Strategies - Wilson and Daly (1996)

  1. Direct guarding
  2. Negative inducements
• Direct Guarding

  • Male vigilance over a partner's behaviour
  • E.g. checking who they've been seeing, coming home early, keeping tabs on their whereabouts, tracking them
• Negative inducements

  • Issuing threats of dire consequences
  • E.g. "I'll kill myself if you leave me"
• Bullying occurs because of a power imbalance
• Bullying occurs because of a power imbalance -evolutionary ancestors may have used bullying as an adaptive strategy to increase their chances of survival by promoting their own health and creating opportunities for reproduction.
• Male bullying: Tony Volk et al. (2013) argue that the characteristics associated with bullying behaviour are attractive to females. Therefore such bullying behaviour would be naturally selected as the males would have greater reproductive success.
• Male bullying: Sapolsky (2004) said that adolescent boys who gain a reputation for being tough themselves are less likely to experience aggression as other boys avoid contact with them.
• Female bullying: Often takes place within a relationship and is a method of controlling a partner. Women use bullying to secure their partners fidelity, which means they continue to provide resources for future offspring.
• The finding of the study by Wilson et al - 53% of women whose partners use mate retention strategies said they feared for their lives
• An adaptive benefit of male aggression is bullying can ward off rivals and increase access to fertile females
• An adaptive benefit of female aggression is bullying can secure resources necessary for raising offspring
• A strength of the evolutionary explanation of aggression is viewing bullying as adaptive can lead to more effective antibullying intervention strategies
• Two highly researched functions of the evolutionary explanation:

  • defeating sexual rivals
  • retaining mates
• Evolutionary explanation 


  An account of the changes in species over millions of years based on the idea of natural selection - any behaviour that enhances survival and ultimately successful reproduction is perpetuated.