Group Displays Of Aggression Flashcards
Lynch Mobs
Group kill for an offence Over 2000 in 50 years African American males One a week Stupid reasons - wanting respect
Power threat hypothesis
Majority feel minority will take over
They intensify effort to maintain dominance
Display extreme aggression to do so
An adaptive response from evolution
Signal they are a force not to be reckoned with
Strategy to maintain social control
Dehumanisation
Body parts cut off + sold as souvenirs
Burnt so no longer recognised as a human
Racial hatred made blacks seem like animals
This reassured people they were superior and made it easier to kill
An adaptive response which helps maintain power
South American study
Lynchings were on people who posed no threat
They were not radically motivated
An alternative explanation is deindividuation
Deindividuation
To lose sense of ones self
Being part of a crowd
Identifying with a role
Le Bon- aggressive when part of a group because you feel less identifiable and the responsibility is reduced - mob mentality
Mullen
Supports deindividuation
60 newspapers
Lynchings
As size of mob increased the lynchings became more violent
Religious displays
Painful acts of violence
Shia Muslims
- self flagellate
- cut foreheads
Arapesh
- 3yr penises rubbed with nettles
- older cut with pig incisors
Costly signalling theory
Extreme practices contradict natural selection because of danger
But must fulfil a function
- achieve cooperation = better chance at surviving
- deter free riders
Painful acts show you are willing to suffer to be part of the group (not a free rider)
So natural selection favours this
CST - show you can endure costs so you are valued and committed
Sosis (Jew)
Orthodox Jews 40 degrees Thick beard/coat/hat Body temp must rise to dangerous levels Shows they are committed
Ruffle and Sosis
CST predicts the more elaborate the display the greater the commitment
Kibbutz
Men pray 3x daily - a more highly visible display than the women’s solitary display
Mean are more cooperative towards other members then the women
Sosis
60 societies
How often you went to war was linked with the costliness of the religious displays
Tattoo/scars = tight knit + more war
Temp display (drug) = internal warfare + group was inconsistent
Ult vs Prox
Early tribes wanted committed members because resources were scarce - didn’t want to waste
Now they’re are enough resources
Religious displays are more likely to be tradition which brings the members together
What is the test card?
Lynch mobs Power threat Dehumanisation South America study Deindividuation Mullen Religious displays Costly signalling theory Sosis Ruffle and Sosis Sosis Ult vs Prox
