Evolutionary explanation of aggression

Evolutionary explanation of aggression

1. Aggression is driven by our need to reproduce with a suitable partner, when something such as infidelity and cuckoldry threatens this we act in an aggressive manner.

   • Daly and Wilson (1998)- men have evolved different ways of trying to stop their female partners from committing adultery, and several of these are or can result in violence

2. Cuckoldry

   • Men are at risk of cuckoldry as they can't be sure that they are raising/ fathering their own child or another mans. From an evolutionary point of view this would be negative for a man as they would be investing their resources in a child who isn't their own. So men have evolved to become jealous, ensuring there is as little chance as possible of cuckoldry

3. Mate retention

   • Jealousy will often manifest itself in a number itself in a number of strategies that men use to keep a mate loyal. These include "direct guarding" and "negative inducements", both of which aim to prevent her from straying
     • Direct guarding- could be coming home from work early to check on the partner, or reading their texts.
       • Wilson found that women who said their partners used these tactics were twice as likely to suffer violence from the partner