Individual Aggression (evolutionary) Flashcards
What two main headings come under the term individual evolutionary aggression?
Infidelity/Jealousy and Acquiring male status.
What is sexual jealousy?
A state of fear or anxiety caused by the real or suspected prospect of a partner’s sexual infidelity.
What is sexual infidelity?
Sexual infidelity is having sexual relationships beyond your romantic relationship.
How is the use of aggression adaptive for males?
It reduces the threat of an alternative male (male vs male), and also asserts dominance over the relationship (male vs female).
What are the three reasons for aggression according to the infidelity/jealousy theory?
Mate retention, sexual coercion and deter/eliminate rivals.
Give the two studies which support the mate retention explanation.
Dobash & Dobash and Shackleford et al (2005).
Outline Dobash & Dobash’s findings.
Found women cite extreme jealousy as the reason for male violence very often.
Outline Shackleford et al’s study and findings from 2005.
men use two common male-retention strategies: Intersexual negative inducements (i.e. shouting) and Direct guarding. He found those who use emotional strategies are most likely to become violent.
Identify and outline a positive IDA points for the mate retention theory based on the Shackleford (2005) findings.
men use two common male-retention strategies: Intersexual negative inducements (i.e. shouting) and Direct guarding. He found those who use emotional strategies are most likely to become violent.
Give the study which supports the sexual coercion theory.
Goetz & Shackleford.
Outline Goetz & Shackleford’s findings.
Found that men who had sexually coerced their partners were more likely to accuse their wives of infidelity. Similarly, wives who had been coerced were likely to admit to infidelity.
Give the study which supports the deter/eliminate rivals theory.
Daly & Wilson.
Outline Daly & Wilson’s study and findings (deter/eliminate rivals).
A meta-analysis of love triangle studies. Found that 92% of love triangle murders were male-male with very few being male-female.
Outline the two ways in which acquiring male status is adaptive.
- An individual who has a higher status are likely to have access to resources necessary for survival (natural selection).
- An individual who has higher status will have access to the women needed to pass on genes (sexual selection).
How do males gain status?
By going up against rival males to prove strength. Low status males will attempt to move up the status ladder through conflict with other males.
