Evolutionary explanations of aggressive behaviour

Evolutionary explanations of aggressive behaviour

1. Aggressive behaviours = adaptive - includes protecting territory, mates and status - mostly shown in males because this enables them to attract mates

   • Wilson and Daly - women attracted to men who provide resources. by gaining resources men are able to increase their status = increase chance of mating

2. Cuckoldry - the reproductive cost that is inflicted on a man as a result of their partners infidelity - women may deceive their partner into investing in offspring that was conceived with someone else.

   • PLATEK AND SHAKLEFORD - say that cuckolded males lose both invested resources and reproductive opportunities T its adaptive to avoid cuckoldry
     • men have developed mate retention strategies which deter their mates from cheating on them
       • DOBASH AND DOBASH - battered women and found that the majority of them cited extreme violence from their partner as the main cause for the violence against them suggests that men are trying to avoid cuckoldry
         • Thornhill and thornhill support that men try and prevent cuckoldry - A woman who refuses to have sex with partner is signifying that they have been unfaithful which increases jealousy and violence

3. IDA GENDER BIAS - mostly focused on males mate retention strategies and male violence against women H women also practice mate retention strategies and engage in violence against their partner

   • FELSON - women are 2x more likely to murder out of jealousy

4. DALY - looked at killings in domestic disputes in the US and found that male sexual jealousy was the main reason for this H not adaptive to kill partner bc reduces mating opportunities

   • DALY AND WILSON said that death is more likely to be an unintended consequence of the desire to control actions

5. A consequence of mens perceptions of infidelity is sexual coercion (Goetz)

   • Camilleri - survey found that a partners infidelity predicts sexual coercion among males but not females which is significant because only men are at risk of cuckoldry
     • Camilleri and quincy - men who raped were likely to have experienced cuckoldry risks prior to their offence H survey was used = social desiablility

6. DEBATE - NATURE NURTURE - evolution - we are violent because of innate behavioural programming

   • H - Banduras SLT says that violence is learnt - Phillips found that homicide rates in the US increase after major boxing match - adults imitate the violence that they see