evolutionary explanations

• what is the evolutionary explanation?

  • suggests aggression is adaptive
  • means being aggressive increases chances of survival or reproductive success
• 2 evolutionary explanations?

  1. protecting/acquiring resources & status - competition for resources
  2. sexual jealousy
• being aggressive & social status?

  • aggression leads to dominance
  • shows you are stronger
  • can also lead to resource of money as more likely to get better job
• being aggressive & territory?

  • you mark your territory
  • people more likely to stay away from it so you remain dominant
  • able to survive & reproduce in your territory
• being aggressive & having a mate?

  • enhances our reproductive success
  • acquire mate as you can be aggressive & fight for best partner with best genes/traits - pass genes onto offspring
  • allows women to feel safer as they have mate who can protect them
  • increases attractiveness of mates so more likely to get mate, eliminate competition & pass on genes
• 4 resources?

  1. mate
  2. social status
  3. territory
  4. money
• what is sexual jealousy?

  • emotional state experiences by males when they fear their partner may leave them & engage in sexual relations with another male - reduces their own reproductive success
  • males cannot be sure that they have fathered womens child or not - do not want to waste time & resources on another mans child
  • they are aggressive to potential rivals to prevent cuckoldry
• buss?

  • proposed 2 different types of male retention tactics used by males when they experience sexual jealusy
• 2 male retention tactics?

  1. direct guarding
  2. negative inducements
• what is direct guarding?

  • involves male becoming increasingly vigilant of female in an attempt to restrict her freedom & prevent another man gaining access
  • NOT DIRECT AGGRESSION
• what are negative inducements?

  • involves male using aggressive threats against female in an attempt to ward off other males
  • make her feel unworthy of their attention
• 2 * of evolutionary explanations?

  1. evidence to support from daly & wilson 1988
  2. helps understand gender differences
• 3 X of evolutionary explanations?

  1. cannot explain cultural differences
  2. cannot explain aggression in homosexual relationships
  3. deterministic
• evidence from daly & wilson?

  • found that homicide rates much higher when mans wife/partner is about to leave him already left
  • daly 1982 - men were more violent when they discovered that their wife/partner had been unfaithful
  • supports sexual jealousy & negative inducements
  • being more aggressive to keep their mate in order to enhance reproductive success
• * understand gender differences?

  • well known fact that males are more aggressive than females
  • this explanation suggests females are less aggressive - dont need to be & dont need to fight for dominance as males dont look for this in females
  • instead they value 0.7WHR & youthful women
  • males more aggressive - have to fight for dominance - intra sexual selection in order to get mate & women want someone aggressive in order to protect them
  • shows why males have to be more aggressive than females in order to enhance their reproductive success
• X cannot explain cultural differences?

  • kung san people of kalahari have negative attitudes towards use of aggression
  • its discouraged & people who are aggressive will lose status & reputation in group
  • suggests aggression is learnt from culture rather then innate & evolutionary
  • as in this culture aggression has no evolutionary benefit
  • cant be said that all people have evolved in same way as other cultures have differing opinions on aggression
• X cannot explain sexual jealousy in homosexual relationships?

  • domestic violence rates higher in homosex relationships
  • theory states that domestic violence occurs to reduce chances of cuckoldry
  • but not potential problem in these non reproductive relationships
  • may not consider other factors causing male aggression - learn through observation & imitation of role model/past childhood experiences repressed in unconscious mind
  • must be other factors explaining aggresion in relationships other than sexual jealousy & preventing partner reproducing with someone else
• X deterministic?

  • pro - can measure & predict aggressive behaviour to intervene if someone is showing sexual aggression before they become aggressive
  • con - not everyone is same & ingores free will
  • people choose how to behave so it cannot be concluded that all aggressive behaviour is due to evolution
  • does not consider individual differences whereby some people may show sexual jealousy but never show aggression towards partner as they choose not to
  • ignores individuals choice & free will in peoples behaviour