Evolutionary Explanations Of Human Aggression

Question 1

What do men use to avoid cuckoldry

Answer 1

Aggressive mate retention strategies

Question 2

What is cuckoldry seen to be to men

Answer 2

A waste of his resources because it contributes to survival of the rivals jeans and leaves the father with fewer resources to invest in his own future offspring

Question 3

How were men in the evolutionary past able to avoid cuckoldry successful

Answer 3

Reproductively

Question 4

How have psychological mechanisms evolved

Answer 4

To increase anti-cuckoldry behaviours in men e.g. Sexual jealousy

Question 5

What have been identified as the two major mate retention strategies involving aggression

Answer 5

1. Direct guarding

2. Negative inducements

Question 6

What is direct guarding

Answer 6

A man’s vigilance over partners behaviour e.g. checking who they’ve been seeing

Question 7

What is negative inducements

Answer 7

Threats of consequences for infidelity e.g. I’ll kill myself if you leave me

Question 8

What did Wilson et al study

Answer 8

Women who reported mate retention strategies in partners were twice as likely to suffer physical violence at the hands

Question 9

What were Wilson et al’s statistics

Answer 9

73% of these women required medical attention and 53% said they feared for their lives

Question 10

What did Wilson et al find

Answer 10

Men who used guarding or negative inducements were more likely to use physical violence against their partners - these retention behaviours reliably predicted husband’s use of aggression against their wives

Question 11

What is bullying

Answer 11

A power in balance in which a stronger individual uses aggression repeatedly against the weaker person

Question 12

How have researchers traditionally viewed bullying

Answer 12

As a maladaptive behaviour

Question 13

How did evolutionary ancestors use bullying

Answer 13

As an adaptive strategy to increase chances of survival by promoting their own health and creating reproduction opportunities

Question 14

What does bullying suggest in men

Answer 14

Dominance, strength, wards of potential rivals

Question 15

What do characteristics associated with bullying deliver

Answer 15

The ideal combination of access to more females and minimal threat from competing males - so aggressive bullying was naturally selected because these males would have reproductive success

Question 16

What does bullying in women suggest

Answer 16

Female bullying more often takes place within rather than outside a relationship and is a method of controlling a partner

Question 17

Who do women us bullying behaviour

Answer 17

To secure a partners fidelity - means the partner continues to provide resources for future offspring - naturally selected as it enhances reproductive success

Question 18

Name a strength of the evolutionary explanation

Answer 18

Real life applications - despite availability of interventions bullying remains prevalent - most interventions fail to recognise that bullies bully because they gain advantages and it would make no sense for them to give up the power

Question 19

Name a weakness of the evolutionary explanation

Answer 19

Cultural differences- present in all culture because it is used for survival everywhere - some cultures discourage aggression and some encourage it in order to gain status - difference in opinions suggests behaviour is not universal