4. Evolutionary explanations of human aggression
Cards (15)
- Evolution - AO1- First theorised by Charles Darwin - 'the origin of species'- the process by which different kinds of living organism are believed to have developed from earlier forms during the history of the earth.
- Cuckoldry - AO1- having to raise an offspring that is not their own- Men face the threat of cuckoldry- Wate of their resources because it contributes to the survival of a rival genes- Leaves the father with fewer recourses to invest in future offspring
- Men in the past who were able to avoid cuckoldry were more successful reproduce - AO1- Psychological mechanisms have evolved to increase anti-cuckoldry behaviourse.g. Sexual jealousy- These mechanisms drive the aggressive mate retention strategies men use to keep their partners and prevent them from staying- There were adaptive in our evolutionary history
- Two major mate retention strategies- Identifies by Wilson and Daly (1996)- Direct guarding - a man vigilance over a partner's behaviour - checking what they are seeing or looking at their phone- Negative inducements - e.g threats of consequences for infidelity like suicide
- Wilson et al (1995) - Findings- Mate retention strategies were in partners were twice as likely to suffer physical violence at their hands- 73% of these of women required medical attention- 53% - said they feared for their lives- Men who use guarding or negative reinforcements were more likely to use physical violence against partners.
- Shackelford et al (2005) - AO1- sturdies inmate partner violence in heterosexual couples
- Shackelford et al (2005) - Procedure - AO1- Men and women in 107 married couples completed difference questionariesAll had been married 1 year or less- Men completed the Mate Retentions Inventory which assessed male retention behaviours in various categories e.g. direct guarding- Women completed the Spouse Influence Report which measured the extent of their partners violence's in their relationship
- Shackelford et al (2005) - Findings - AO1- Strong positive correlation between men's reports or their mate retention strategies and women's reports of partner physcial violence- Men who used guarding or negative inducements were more likely to use physical violence against partners- According to researchers these retention behaviours reliably predicted husbands use of violence against wives
- Evolutionary explanation of bullying - AO1- Bullying occurs due to power imbalanceMore powerful individual uses aggression deliberately and repeatedly against weaker person- Bullying traditionaly viewed maladaptive behaviour - the result of poor social skills or child abuse- However, evolutionary ancestors may have used bullying as an adaptive strategy to increase chances of survival - promoting their own health and creating new opportunities for reproduction
- Volk et al (2012)- Argues that characteristics associated with male bullying behaviour are attractive to females- This is because It suggests dominance, acquisition of recourses and strength in malesPotential of warding off potential rivals
- Female bullying - AO1- takes place within a relationship and is a method of controlling a partner- Women use bullying behaviour to secure their partners fidelity, so they continue to provide recourses for future offspring- Behaviour naturally selected for because or enhanced reproductive success
- Research support for aggression and sexual jealousy - 😊- Research demonstrates that mate retention strategies are associated with sexual jealousy and aggression- Study by Shackelford et al (2005) is a dramatic example- Strategies such as direct guarding and negative inducements are overwhelmingly used by makes against males and females clear link between the risk of infidelity and cuckoldry and aggression- Supports predictions derived from evolutionary explanation concerning adaptive value of aggression
- Evolutionally explanations account for gender differences - 😊- Common observation that aggression in more common in males than females especially physically aggression.- Evolutionary theory explains this- Anne Campbell (1999) argues that a female with offspring is motivated to be less aggressive because such behaviour may put child's survival at risk- More adaptive strategy would be to use verbal aggression as a means of retaining a partner who provides resources and to avoid life-threating situation involving physical aggression - Buss and Shackford (1997)- Explain why women are more likely than men to engage in non-aggressive methods in resolving disputes- Ability to explain gender difference is a large strength is evolutionally theory
- Real world application - 😊- Evolutionary understanding of bullying can help us derive more effective anti-bullying strategies- Rigby (2010) - reviewed several established interventions based on the assumption that bullying is a maladaptive behaviour that can be eradicated by addressing the bully's perceived deficiencies- Despite this bullying is stile prevent- Evolutionary explanation acknowledges that bullies bully because they stand to gain advantages- Makes no sense for them to voluntarily give up power over others without form of compensation- Volk et al - argues that anti-bullying interventions need to increase the costs of bullying and rewards for prosocial behaviour- Encourage bullies to compete aggressively but fairly in sporting activates- Would give them opportunities to display strength and power and some other attractive qualities that wouldn't be present through bullying
- Cultural differences - 🙁- The !Kung people of Kalahari have largely negative views on aggressive behaviour- From childhood aggressive behaviour is discouraged and therefore rare- Those who do engage in aggressive behaviours are awarded a lower status and their reputation with their community is diminished- In addition, the Yanomamo of Venezuela and Brazil have been described as the fierce people- In their culture aggression is accepted and requires in to order to fain status