Cruelty And Compassion

Question 1

Psychosocial Stress and Antisocial Behavior

Answer 1

i. Stigma and marginalization can increase chronic stress, isolation, inactivity, trigger or exacerbate symptoms of some common mental illnesses & mood disorders that result in anti-social behavior
ii. Violence: some cross-species similarities, but human cruelty & sadism unique and associated with Theory of Mind (ability to infer others’ mental states) and resulting empathy
1. BUT: Group dynamics often much more complicated, even in species with observed violence (think Franz de Waal’s talk about chimps & “The Surprising Science of Alpha Males”)
2. BUT: also must take into account that direct violence always occurs in cultural contexts, often those involving structural/systematic violence against whole groups (tied to race, gender, historical trends)
3. BUT: human violence can often be highly ritualized, “fake” (such as in sports)

Question 2

Prosocial Behavior: “Tend and Befriend”

Answer 2

1. Oxytocin: hormone secreted by the hippothalamus (males and females)
   -estrogen increases oxytocin’s effects
   
   • androgen (ex. Testosterone) inhibit oxytocin release
2. Vasopressin hormone is structurally similar to oxytocin, but increases aggression in males
3. May reflect more gender socialization rather than sex dimorphism ( ex. In some species, the males are bigger than the females)