evolutionary explanations of human aggression Flashcards
1
Q
evolutionary explanations
A
- focus on the changes of species over millions of years based on the idea of natural selection
= any behaviour that enhances survival + successful reproduction
= makes sense that aggression aids survival + passed on through the gens
2
Q
evolutionary explanations of sexual jealousy
A
- sexual jealousy = major motivation factor that explains aggression in males
- jealousy occurs more strongly in men due to the fact that a man can never be sure about whether they’re the father of their child
- this paternity uncertainty is a result of cuckoldry
- men in the evolutionary past who could avoid cuckoldry = more successful reproductively
= psychological mechanisms have evolved to increase anti-cuckoldry behaviour in makes
= leads to aggressive strategies that men employ to keep their partners from ‘straying’
3
Q
mate retention strategies
A
- direct guarding
- negative inducements
- physical violence against partner
4
Q
direct guarding - mate retention strategies
A
- involved the male being vigilant over a partner’s behaviour
- e.g. checking who they’ve been seeing, texting, tracking their whereabouts etc..
5
Q
negative inducements - mate retention strategies
A
- such as issuing threats of dire consequence for infidelity
- e.g. i’ll kill myself if you leave me
6
Q
physical violence against partner - mate retention strategies
A
- women who agreed w/ statements such as:
- “he insists on knowing who you are with + where you are at all times”
- twice as likely to experience physical violence from their partner
7
Q
evolutionary explanations for bullying
A
- bullying occurs due to power imbalance
- maladaptive behaviour e.g. result of poor social skills or childhood abuse
- HOWEVER our evolutionary ancestors may have used bullying as an adaptive strategy to increase their chances of survival
= by promoting their own health + creating chances for reproduction
8
Q
male bullying
A
- psych argued that the characteristics associated w/ bullying are attractive to females
- dominance + strength
- benefit of warding off potential rivals
- bullying behaviour would be naturally selected
= these males would have greater reproductive success
9
Q
female bullying
A
- bullying more often takes place within a relationship
- method used to control the partner
- prevent infidelity so they continue to provide resources for their future offspring
- such behaviour would be naturally selected due to enhanced reproductive success
10
Q
aggression in warfare
A
- evolutonary perspective claims that human warfare originated not only to obtain valuable resources
- to also attract mates
- displays of aggressiveness + bravery = attractive to females (past male warriors tended to have more sexual partners + children)
11
Q
strengths
A
- gender differences
- bullying
12
Q
weaknesses
A
- cultural differences
- biological determinism
13
Q
gender differences - strengths
A
- explains the gender differences in the use of aggression
- e.g. argues it is not adaptive for a female w/ children to be physically aggressive as she could put her own life + offspring’s at risk
- so a more adaptive strategy would be to use verbal instead of physical aggression
- whereas a man would prob use more physical aggression as it’s more adaptive
14
Q
bullying - strengths
A
- explanation has real life application
= used to reduce bullying - one strategy to reduce bullying is to address + question why a bully needs to bully, what are they lacking in?
- another strategy is based on the idea that bullying is adaptive
- idea can lead to anti-bullying strategies
e.g. costs of bullying + benefits of not bullying - e.g. giving the school bully roles of responsibility to command respect from admiration, not fear
= shows bullying is an adaptive behaviour
15
Q
cultural differences - weaknesses
A
- doesn’t explain cultural differences in human aggression
- in some cultures, aggression is non-existent
- e.g. psych studied Kung San people of Western Botswana + called them harmless people
= had very -ve attitudes towards aggression
= those who were aggressive, lost their sttaus + respect within community
= shows that cultural + social norms are more powerful in shaping aggression or non aggression rather than evolutionary reasons
