Evolutionary explanations of aggression Flashcards
What does the evolutionary theory suggest?
Suggests that male aggression is linked to their partner being unfaithful.
What issues does infidelity create for males?
‘Paternity uncertainty’, unlike females, they can never be certain if they have parented a child.
Define cuckoldry.
Raising a child that is not yours. It is seen as a waste of effort and passing on your rivals genes.
Males have developed a number of strategies to what…
…to keep a mate.
What did Wilson and Daley identify?
Male retention strategies.
Outline 2 male retention strategies.
-Direct guarding= being with/watching your partner all the time.
-Negative inducements= making physical/verbal threats towards partner.
What did Shackelford et al find?
Found that men who used negative inducements were more likely to be aggressive and use physical violence.
What is the evolutionary explanation of bullying?
A more powerful individual uses aggression deliberately and repeatedly against a weaker person.
(Basically survival of the fittest).
What did Volk et al suggest?
Suggests that characteristics of a male bully (e.g. dominance) may have been attractive to the opposite gender in the past.
This would suggest to the female potential to provide protection.
Such behaviour may have been naturally selected.
Give an advantage of evolutionary explanations of aggression/
+Supporting evidence from Shackelford et al, that aggression is evolutionary caused.
Evidence to show that negative inducements and direct guarding do increase aggression.
Give disadvantages of the evolutionary explanation of aggression.
-Challenged by cultural differences.
There are cultural differences in aggression that this theory cannot explain. It is not a comprehensive explanation as it does not consider everything.
-Lacks validity because it is practically impossible to test or falsify suggestions/theories.
It is based entirely on assumption so is therefore not reliable.
