ESSAY PLAN - The evolutionary explanation of aggression
AO1
Depth:
An evolutionary explanation is based on the premise that the human brain is a product of evolution
by natural selection.
Evolutionary psychologists believe that the human brain compromises a number of adaptations to
cope with various challenges associated with group living.
Aggression is a strategy that would have been effective for solving a number of adaptive problems
among early humans (e.g., gaining resources, intimidating or eliminating male rivals for females,
and deterring mates from sexual infidelity).
Solving these problems enhanced the survival and reproductive success of the individual, and as a
result this mental module would have spread through the gene pool.
Sexual competition would have been an explanation for evolutionary aggression as ancestral males
seeking access to females would have had to compete with other males and one way of eliminating
the competition would have been through aggression, perhaps in the form of physical competition.
Those individuals who used aggression successfully against competitors would have been more
successful in acquiring mates and so would be more successful in passing on their genes to offspring.
This would have then led to the development of a genetically transmitted tendency for males to be
aggressive towards other males.
RESEARCH: Puts argues that various male traits seem to imply that competition with other males
did take place among ancestral males. For example, men have 75% more muscle mass than women,
are far more aggressive than women, are far more likely to die violently.
Sexual jealousy is also an evolutionary explanation of aggression – Unlike women, men can never
be certain that they are the fathers of their children, as fertilization is hidden from them, inside the
woman.
As a result, they are always at risk of cuckoldry (raising a child that is not theirs), the reproductive
cost that might be inflicted on a man if his partner is unfaithful. (a reason why adultery is so
immoral).
The consequence of cuckoldry is that the man might unwillingly invest his resources in offspring that
are not his own.
The adaptive functions of sexual jealousy, therefore, would have been to deter a mate from sexual
infidelity, thereby minimizing the risk of cuckoldry.
Bredth:
Buss suggests males have a number of strategies that evolved specifically for the purpose of keeping
a mate. These include the use of violence or threats of violence to prevent her from straying, as well
as violence towards a perceived love rival.
There are 2 mate retention strategies to prevent partners from straying (cuckoldry)
Direct guarding – a mans vigilance over a partner’s behaviour e.g., checking who they’ve been
seeing
Negative reinforcement – e.g., threats of consequences for infidelity – ‘I’ll kill myself if you leave
me’.
AO3
WEAKNESS
P – Aggressive behaviour may not always be adaptive – violent or aggressive behaviour can result in injury
or even death in extreme cases.
AO1
Depth:
An evolutionary explanation is based on the premise that the human brain is a product of evolution
by natural selection.
Evolutionary psychologists believe that the human brain compromises a number of adaptations to
cope with various challenges associated with group living.
Aggression is a strategy that would have been effective for solving a number of adaptive problems
among early humans (e.g., gaining resources, intimidating or eliminating male rivals for females,
and deterring mates from sexual infidelity).
Solving these problems enhanced the survival and reproductive success of the individual, and as a
result this mental module would have spread through the gene pool.
Sexual competition would have been an explanation for evolutionary aggression as ancestral males
seeking access to females would have had to compete with other males and one way of eliminating
the competition would have been through aggression, perhaps in the form of physical competition.
Those individuals who used aggression successfully against competitors would have been more
successful in acquiring mates and so would be more successful in passing on their genes to offspring.
This would have then led to the development of a genetically transmitted tendency for males to be
aggressive towards other males.
RESEARCH: Puts argues that various male traits seem to imply that competition with other males
did take place among ancestral males. For example, men have 75% more muscle mass than women,
are far more aggressive than women, are far more likely to die violently.
Sexual jealousy is also an evolutionary explanation of aggression – Unlike women, men can never
be certain that they are the fathers of their children, as fertilization is hidden from them, inside the
woman.
As a result, they are always at risk of cuckoldry (raising a child that is not theirs), the reproductive
cost that might be inflicted on a man if his partner is unfaithful. (a reason why adultery is so
immoral).
The consequence of cuckoldry is that the man might unwillingly invest his resources in offspring that
are not his own.
The adaptive functions of sexual jealousy, therefore, would have been to deter a mate from sexual
infidelity, thereby minimizing the risk of cuckoldry.
Bredth:
Buss suggests males have a number of strategies that evolved specifically for the purpose of keeping
a mate. These include the use of violence or threats of violence to prevent her from straying, as well
as violence towards a perceived love rival.
There are 2 mate retention strategies to prevent partners from straying (cuckoldry)
Direct guarding – a mans vigilance over a partner’s behaviour e.g., checking who they’ve been
seeing
Negative reinforcement – e.g., threats of consequences for infidelity – ‘I’ll kill myself if you leave
me’.
AO3
WEAKNESS
P – Aggressive behaviour may not always be adaptive – violent or aggressive behaviour can result in injury
or even death in extreme cases.
