Aggression : Evolutionary Explanation

Question 1

What is the evolutionary explanation?

Answer 1

How behaviours that were adaptive to out ancestors are passed down through genetic transmission. Behaviours witnesses today would have evolved as a reaction to the environment 10 000 to 5 million years ago – known as the environment of evolutionary adaptiveness (EAA)

Question 2

Why does aggression serve as an adaptive value?

Answer 2

Secures food, territory, resources and females. Establishes hierarchical dominance/ social status. This enabled our ancestors to survive/ evolve by natural selection (aggression is selected by females)

Question 3

What is paternity uncertainty?

Answer 3

The man not knowing if they are the father, while the mother knows created by cuckholdry. It’s an evolutionary waste of resources to rain children that aren’t there’s as it’s contributing to the survival of others genes.

Question 4

What is cuckholdry?

Answer 4

Being the husband of a cheating wife

Question 5

What are anti-cuckholdry behaviours in males?

Answer 5

aggressive strategies men employ to keep their partners and prevent them from leaving

Question 6

Wilson & Daly (1996)

Answer 6

identified ‘mate retention strategies’ involving aggression and physical violence.

Question 7

What is direct guarding?

Answer 7

Male vigilance over partner’s behaviour (eg: checking who they’ve seen, tracking them, etc)

Question 8

Whats are negative inducements?

Answer 8

Issuing threats of dire consequences (eg: threatening to kill themselves if a partner leaves)

Question 9

What did Wilson et al (1995) find in relation to retention strats?

Answer 9

women who reported mate retention strategies in their partners were twice as likely to suffered physical violence from their partners – 73% needed medical attention, 53% feared for their lives

Question 10

Whats the evolutionary explanation for bullying?

Answer 10

power imbalance where more powerful individual uses aggression against weaker. Researchers view bullying as maladaptive behaviour as a result of poor social skills. EVex suggest ancestors used bullying as an adaptive strategy to increase chances of survival by creating reproduction opportunities

Question 11

Why do people ‘bully’?

Answer 11

Females find bullying characteristics attractive, suggesting dominance, access to resources and safety from rivals and harm (Volk 2012). Bullying therefore accesses to more females and minimal threat from competing males (natural selection).

Bullying may benefit the bully’s health, due to less stress, being at the top of the hierarchy (Sapolsky 2004)

Question 12

Why do females bully?

Answer 12

often takes place within a relationship and is a method of control to help secure the males fidelity. The partner continues to provide resources for future offspring and the behaviour is naturally selected as it enhances the women’s reproductive success (Campbell 1999).

Question 13

What are the strengths of the evolutionary theory?

Answer 13

• found in questionnaires examining the correlation between male retention strategies and partner violence → Shackleford et al (2005) found in 107 married couples (age 17-41), male retention strategies correlated with violence towards their partners. The self-report responses of males/females were significantly correlated (reliable), suggesting that aggression is a component of male retention strategies. However, you should be cautious in generalising his data as since it is correlated, there may be a third variable
• can explain gender differences in adaptive function of aggression → Campbell (1999) argued that physical aggression is not adaptive for a female with offspring, as it would put her and her child’s survival at risk, leading to a more adaptive strategy for females to use verbal aggression to retain a partner who provides resources. Puts (2010) argued that several male traits imply that competition with other males took place amongst ancestral males (eg: men have 75% more muscle mass than women, thicker jaw bones and more robust skulls than women)

Question 14

What are the limitations of the evolutionary theory?

Answer 14

• cultural variations → Thomas (1958) noted that the !Kung San people of Kalahari have negative attitudes towards aggression, and it is discouraged from childhood, so is rare as it results in loss of status. Whilst the Yanomamo people of Venezuala and Brazil have been described as the ‘fierce people’. Though, Lee (1979) questions whether the !Kung San people are peaceful due to their high homicide rate.
• Predictions cannot be tested → as researchers have limited evidence from past to support hypotheses. Most research is therefore based on correlation, which cant establish cause and effect, so relies on ‘post-hoc’ interpretation. According to Popper’s philosophy of science, a theory must be falsifiable to be considered scientific. Therefore, the evolutionary explanation may not be accurate as it cannot be rigorously tested or refuted in a controlled way
• too deterministic and does not consider social factors → The evolutionary explanation suggests that aggression is biologically determined due to uncontrollable adaptations. This emphasises nature over nurture and ignores cognitive aspects of aggression which suggests thought and control over actions. Also has ethical implications, suggesting aggression is innate, and therefore cannot be controlled, leading to a lack of personal responsibility