Evolutionary explanations of human aggression AO3

• What is a potential issue with the evolutionary explanation of aggression?


  Gender differences may be better explained by socialisation.
• How might socialisation affect girls' aggression compared to boys' aggression?


  Girls may adopt social forms of aggression rather than physical aggression.
• Why is it significant that girls learn they are less powerful than boys in the context of aggression?


  It may lead them to adopt behaviors that harm social status or self-esteem instead of physical aggression.
• What does the evidence about female aggression suggest about the evolutionary explanation of male aggression?


  It casts doubt on the claim that males alone have evolved aggression to deal with rivals.
• What should the evolutionary explanation of aggression consider according to the study material?


  It should also consider environmental factors and culture.
• What is a strength of the evolutionary explanation regarding aggression?


  There is research support for the relationship between status and aggression.
• What did Daly and Wilson find regarding tribal societies and murder?


  They found that many tribal societies bestow increased status and honour to men who have committed murder.
• What did Campbell discover about violent gang members in the US?


  Campbell found that the most violent gang members often have the highest status among their peers.
• How do males react to threats to their status and reputation?


  Males display heightened sensitivity to threats, leading to acts of male-on-male violence.
• What does the relationship between status and aggression suggest about male behavior?


  • Aggression is an important way of gaining status among males.
  • Aggression can also be a consequence of threats to that status.
• What can be concluded about the relationship between status and aggression?


  The relationship is reliable.
• What is a significant issue with evolutionary explanations for physical aggression?


  They do not adequately reflect the behavior of women in this process.
• Who claimed that the idea of the woman warrior is almost unheard of within most societies?

  Adams (1983)
• What does Adams (1983) suggest about women's participation in war?


  Women are always the rare exception in societies that allow them to participate in war.
• Why would women have less to gain from fighting in near-certain-death situations?


  Because they have considerably more to lose in terms of their reproductive capacity.
• How does the limitation of understanding physical aggressive displays in warfare affect our perspective?


  It limits our understanding to the behavior of males rather than females.
• What conclusion can be drawn about gender bias in evolutionary explanations for aggression?


  There is gender bias in the evolutionary explanations.
• What is a weakness of evolutionary explanations regarding human conflicts?


  They fail to explain cruelty found in human conflicts that aren’t found in animals.
• Why do evolutionary explanations struggle to account for certain human behaviors?


  They do not explain the wide-scale slaughter of groups, like in the Rwandan genocide.
• What specific human actions do evolutionary explanations fail to clarify after a conflict?


  They do not explain why humans torture or mutilate defeated opponents.
• What alternative explanation is suggested for the behaviors observed in human conflicts?

  Evidence suggests it may be due to the influence of deindividuation.
• What did Watson find regarding warriors and their appearance?


  Warriors who changed their appearance were more likely to brutally kill and torture victims.
• What are the implications of Watson's findings on aggression?


  • Changing appearance increases likelihood of brutality
  • Deindividuation plays a significant role in aggression
  • Evolutionary explanations are insufficient alone
• What conclusion can be drawn about explanations for aggression based on the study material?


  Other explanations should be considered to fully explain aggression.