Evolutionary Explanations

Question 1

Why did our ancestors need to be aggressive?

Answer 1

Survival / mate competition / protection

Question 2

Jealousy

Answer 2

Jealously is thought to be innate rather than learned, because it is found in every culture. Jealously caused by mate competition can lead to aggression

Question 3

Why are men jealous?

Answer 3

A woman knows that a baby is hers however men are always at risk of cuckoldry (a man my incest all of his resources in offspring that are not his). Therefore jealously may have survived as a trait because it helped to stop infidelity

Question 4

Supporting study for jealousy

Answer 4

Wilson found that women who agreed with statements like “he is jealous” were twice as likely to have experienced violence. Indicating that jealousy due to mate competition can cause aggression

Question 5

Further support for jealously

Answer 5

Shackleford used a survey to assess mate retention techniques. Men were assessed on how often they used violence against their partners. Women answered questions about the frequency of violence used against them. Results showed a clear relationship between sexual jealousy and violence

Question 6

Rape (two explanations)

Answer 6

1. It could be suggested that rape is the last resort of a jealous male as women do not seek poor and resource poor men
2. Typically males compete for females to persuade them to have sex. So rape would be explained by the desire to have as many sexual partners as possible

Question 7

Supporting study for rape

Answer 7

Alcock analysed rape victim data from American cities and found that most rape victims were teens to late (peak reproductive age)

Question 8

Criticism of rape

Answer 8

Evolutionary theories would find it difficult to explain why post menopausal women and older women become rape victims

Question 9

Homicide

Answer 9

73% of perpetrators were men and 69%,+~ the male victims were unmarried. Suggesting aggression due to lack of resources, failure to attract a mate, frustration and competition

Question 10

Uxorocide

Answer 10

Evolutionary explanations may also be able to explain Uxorocide. By stating that the death of a partner may unintentional outcome of an attempt to control (Dale and Wilson)
Men with few resources may resort to violence as a means of control - to keep them faithful

Question 11

Criticism of homicide

Answer 11

Can’t explain individual differences when faced with a problem. Too deterministic
EXAMPLE - if a wife is unfaithful, one man would drink, another would leave and another may kill her. People have free will

Question 12

Weaknesses of evolutionary

Answer 12

Gender bias
Deterministic
Reductionist