Evolutionary Explanations For Human Aggression

Question 1

How does the evolutionary approach view aggression?

Answer 1

• It views aggression as an adaptive response and being innate in humans.
• It leads to an increase in survival as it allows access to resources such as food and territory and it also increases chances for reproductive success
• It is perceived to have developed through natural selection and can still be seen today in the phenomena of infidelity and jealousy, as well as group displays of aggression.
• Males will compete with other males through aggression and confrontation for females. More skilled aggressive males will have an increase chance of passing on their genes to their offspring. This is because females will choose the mate that will provide more resources for them and their offspring such as food and territory.
• Males are not aggressive towards females as females will view them as being a threat towards their offspring. For this reason they are sensitive towards females as it shows they can nurture their offspring.

Question 2

What is jealousy and infidelity?

Answer 2

• Jealousy is the fear of loosing affection to another mate to another individual.
• Infidelity involves a sexual partner being unfaithful.

Question 3

How does jealousy and infidelity cause aggression?

Answer 3

• Sexual jealousy is a major motivator of aggressive behaviour in males towards their partners, as they are very distressed about infidelity because of the concern of uncertain paternity and having to invest resources into a child that is not theirs.
• females are always certain of maternity therefore they display emotional jealousy and if the partner is participating in infidelity they fear the loss of resources for themselves and their offspring. This can cause a female to be aggressive.

Question 4

How are females and males aggressive?

Answer 4

• Women are more verbal to other females to ward of potential mates for the partner.
• Males are physically aggressive and directly confront other males that could be potential mates for their partners.

Question 5

AO3 for evolutionary explanation for aggression

Answer 5

Sadalla

Daly and Wilson

Goetz

Question 6

Outline Sadallas research

Answer 6

• Found women are more attracted to dominant behaviour from men, supporting the idea that aggression in men can increase their chance for reproductive success.
• Interestingly though there was no increase in how much the females liked the males that displayed dominant aggressive behaviour it only enhanced their attractiveness.
• This shows the selection of mates is based on survival rather than happiness supporting the evolutionary explanation for aggression

Question 7

Outline Daly and Wilson’s research

Answer 7

• found Homocide rates were higher if the female was about to leave their partner
• It seems that fear and jealousy involved in loosing a partner can cause aggressive consequences
• This is evident as women have reported their ex partners saying “if I cant have you, no one can”. This supports the idea that mate exclusivity is important to men as they want to ensure that they can produce offspring and ensure that its theirs.

Question 8

Outline Goetz research

Answer 8

• investigated male violence against wives and partners and found that the motivation behind violence was to punish and try to prevent them sleeping with another man.
• This ensures that any offspring can be said to be fathered by partner and the man therefore does not spend time and resources on another mans child.
• This supports the evolutionary explanation and the cuckholdery hypothesis