Evolutionary Explanation Of Aggression Flashcards
What is the evolutionary explanation based on?
Aggression is seen as an adaptive strategy that solved challenges for ancestors such as obtaining sources and finding a mate. They therefore enhanced survival and genes passed on.
What is the evolutionary explanation for male aggression in response to sexual competition?
Male ancestors had to compete for female mates. Males who successfully used aggression to eliminate competition would have been better at finding a mate and therefore reproducing and passing on test genes. This explains agg today as behaviour has remained in the gene pool. Some researchers suggest traits imply aggression due to competition did take place eg men have 75% more muscle mass than women and are far more aggressive.
What is the evolutionary explanation for male aggression in response to sexual jealousy?
Infidelity had seriously implications for men. If a woman has a sexual relationship with a male other than her partner then her partner can’t be sure the children are biologically his. Men are at risk of being ‘cuckolded’ - expending effort in bringing up a child not carrying his genes. It would be adaptive o show aggression via sexual jealousy towards the female partner as it may maintain sexual associations between them. Research suggests mate retention strategies would have been adaptive, including threatening/ showing aggression to her for straying or towards a love rival.
Evaluate the evolutionary approach to explaining aggression.
S - 461 men and 560 women used survey to look at mate retention and aggression. None were partners but all in hetero relationships. Males had qs about mate retention and violence towards partners and women had q’s about the same towards them. Findings showed positive correlation between mate retention and violence scores and women’s results agreed with theirs.
C - fail to explain high levels of cruelty found in human conflicts not yet evident in non-human species. Eg doesn’t explain genocide or torturing opponents who have been defeated
I - socially sensitive - aggression towards females to prevent infidelity is not acceptable. It is given legitimacy by this explanation as it says men have gloves to be this way. It says it’s ‘natural’ so we must accept it. This is ethically questionable. Also gender bias (alpha bias) as focussed on men. However women also engage in mate retention strategies and aggressive acts - 2060 murderers in US - women twice as likely to murder partner out of jealousy.
