Jealousy and Infidelity Explanations

Question 1

One evolutionary explanation of human aggression based on jealousy is:

Answer 1

Cuckoldry and Sexual Jealousy

Question 2

Men feel they are constantly at risk of cuckoldry. What is cuckoldry?

Answer 2

Reproductive cost inflicted on a man as a result of his partners infidelity

Question 3

What is the consequence for a man of cuckoldry?

Answer 3

Man may unknowingly invest his resources (money, time etc) into a child that is not his own, which is very undesirable

Question 4

What is the adaptive function of jealousy?

Answer 4

A mate is deterred from sexual infidelity, so there is a lesser risk of cuckoldry occurring

Question 5

Another explanation based on jealousy focuses on:

Answer 5

Male retention and violence, among the strategies identified by Buss, that are designed to maintain a mate

Question 6

Male retention strategies are strategies that:

Answer 6

• Have evolved over time
• Deter a mate from infidelity
• May include restricting partners autonomy or negative inducements in the form of violence of threats

Question 7

Linked with male retention strategies, what did one study into battered women find?

Answer 7

Many reported sexual jealousy as being the trigger, showing those perceived as being unfaithful are at a higher risk of violence due to jealousy

Question 8

Sexual Jealousy can also lead to violence on a more extreme level…

Answer 8

UK and US: most common motivation for murder in domestic disputes, accounting for 17% of murders

Question 9

What does sexual jealousy and murder rates show?

Answer 9

Reinforces the idea that jealousy has evolved for its reproductive advantages of deterring a mate from infidelity

Question 10

A strength of research into the effect of jealousy and human aggression is that it has considerable research support…

Answer 10

Shackle ford used 461m/560f in committed hetero relationships. Males answered Qs on male retention techniques and the frequency, females answered Qs regarding their male partners and their use of male retention strategies and the degree of violence used

Question 11

What did Shacklefords study find?

Answer 11

Use of two broad retention techniques were directly linked with violence and use of emotional manipulation could predict violence against women. Confirmed by female participants.

Question 12

However, a limitation of Shacklefords research into jealousy and human aggression is that it has methodological flaws.

Answer 12

Reliance on self report techniques - untruthful answers to avoid judgement/sensitive topic. Lacks validity and consequently cannot be applied to the general population.

Question 13

Further research by Buss and Shackleford gives credit to the connection between sexual jealous, MRSs and violence…

Answer 13

-Greater punishment used by men who suspected their partners of being unfaithful than by those who did not expect future infidelities

Question 14

What do the results of Buss and Shacklefords study demonstrate?

Answer 14

• Consistent with evolutionary claim that MRSs have evolved over many years and are evoked only when an adaptive problem is faced

Question 15

What is a positive application of research into the link between jealousy and human aggression?

Answer 15

-Awareness of early indicators, can act as a signal to friends and families that violence may be to follow. Can protect many women from violence and potentially murder, so research has invaluable practical applications

Question 16

Infidelity is an alternative explanation of human aggression..

Answer 16

towards partners and is a key factor in influencing it

Question 17

What can suspicion of infidelity lead to in males?

Answer 17

Sexual coercion. Camilleri supported this as she found female sexual assault was directly linked to perceived risk of infidelity

Question 18

What happens if a female is unfaithful and becomes pregnant with another mans child?

Answer 18

• Partners reproductive success is lowered
• Adaptive function of violence towards impregnated mate would be to terminate rivals offspring, so there is a change for the male to heighten his own reproductive success

Question 19

What is uxoricide?

Answer 19

Wife killing, a strategy used by men to punishment costs on a partner for their infidelity

Question 20

Why might men resort to violence?

Answer 20

Not all men possess adequate resources to maintain a partner, leading to many resorting to violence to deter a partner from being unfaithful

Question 21

However, what did Daly and Watson argue?

Answer 21

Death as a result of violence is an unintended consequence - they are adapted to only CONTROL

Question 22

Research support for the link between infidelity and aggression comes from Camilleri…

Answer 22

Potential risk of sexual coercion is predictable among male partners, but not female. Suggests it is only males who are at risk of cuckoldry, and those convicted of partner rape are more likely to have experienced cuckoldry and suspect they are at risk in later relationships too

Question 23

Methodological flaws again

Answer 23

Survey methods as unethical to conduct research using observations or experiments. Over-reporting of desirable behaviour can significantly affect results, and women-based research cannot be generalised to both genders.

Question 24

Individual Differences

Answer 24

Evolutinary approach simply fails to address why some will show aggression in response to infidelity, whereas others will simply get drunk. Does not take these into account