Summary Essay Plan - “Outline and evaluate evolutionary explanations of human aggression”

“Outline and evaluate evolutionary explanations of
human aggression”
A01 –
 According to evolutionary explanations, human aggression is based on
jealousy and infidelity.
JEALOUSY
   Daly and Wilson – claim men have evolved several strategies to deter
their female partners from committing adultery, including vigilance and
violence.
  All the strategies are fuelled by male sexual jealousy, an adaption that
evolved specifically to deal with the threat of paternal uncertainty.
Cuckoldry and sexual jealousy
  Men can never be certain the child is theirs, so are at risk from cuckoldry.
  As a result the man may invest his resources in a child that is not his.
  The adaptive functions of sexual jealousy are to deter the female mate
from sexual infidelity, so reducing risk of cuckoldry.
Mate retention and violence
  Buss – males have strategies that have evolved specifically for the
purpose of keeping a mate.
  They include: restricting partners autonomy (‘direct guarding’) and
‘negative inducements’ (violence/ threat of violence to prevent her from
straying).
  Women who are perceived by their partner to be threatening infidelity are
more at risk of violence.
INFIDELITY
  Daly et al – suggests the detection of suspicion of infidelity is a key
predictor of partner violence.
Violence towards pregnant partners
  A woman’s sexual infidelity can result in pregnancy.
  The male partner would be subjected to cuckoldry which would lower his
own reproductive success.
  In such cases the function of the violence towards her may be to terminate
the pregnancy – this would eliminate the potential offspring of a rival and
leave her free to bear his offspring.