Evaluation of Evolutionary Explanations

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Evaluation: Evolutionary Explanations of Bullying

There are real-life applications to evolutionary explanations of bullying. An evolutionary understanding of bullying as an adaptive behaviour can help us to devise more effective anti-bullying interventions.

Rigby (2010)

Rigby (2010) reviewed several established interventions based on the assumption that bullying is a maladaptive behaviour that can be eradicated by addressing the bullies perceived deficiencies.
However, despite the availability of the strategies, bullying is still prevalent.

Power

The evolutionary approach acknowledges that bullies bully because they tend to gain advantages for themselves.
It would therefore make no sense for them to voluntarily give up the power they have over others without some form of compensation.

Volk et al. (2012)

Volk et al. (2012) argue that anti-bullying intervention needs to increase the costs of bullying and the rewards of pro social alternatives.
One method would be to encourage bullies to compete aggressively but fairly in sporting activities, giving them the opportunity to display prowess, strengths and other attractive qualities, including some not available to them through bullying.

Evaluation: Evolutionary Explanations of Sexual Jealousy

Evolutionary explanations have been found to be reliable. They can also be used to account for gender differences.

Reliability

Strategies such as direct guarding and negative inducements are overwhelmingly used by males, against both females and other males.
This indicates a clear link between the greater risk of infidelity and cuckoldry, and aggression, supporting predictions derived from the evolutionary explanations of the adaptive value aggression.

Gender differences

It is a common observation that males engage more often than females in most aggressive acts, especially physical aggression.
Evolutionary theory can explain this.

Campbell (1999)

Campbell (1999) argues that a female with offspring is motivated to be less aggressive because such behaviour would put not only her own survival at risk, but also that of the child.

Campbell (1999) results

This implies that a more adaptive strategy for females is to use verbal aggression as a means of retaining a partner who provides resources, and to avoid becoming involved in life-threatening situations involving physical aggression.
This would also explain why women are more likely than men to use non-aggressive methods of resolving disputes.

Evaluation

The ability to explain gender differences is the strength of evolutionary theory.

Cultural Differences

There are cultural differences that cast doubt on evolutionary explanations of aggression. The use of the correlational method is another failing of evolutionary theory.

The !Kung San

The !Kung San people of the Kalahari have a very negative attitude towards the use of aggression.
Aggressive behaviour is discouraged from childhood and is therefore rare.
Those who do you use it find that their status and reputation within the community are diminished.

The Yanomamo

The Yanomamo of Venezuela and Brazil are often known as the ‘fierce people’.
Although there is some dispute over the issue, it appears that aggression is an accepted and required behaviour in order to gain status in their highly structured society.

Other criticisms

It is extremely difficult to test hypothesis about the evolution of behaviours to solve problems of adaptation in our evolutionary past.
Therefore, most research is correlational.
- E.g. finding associations between mates retention behaviours and aggression.
This method does not allow us to draw cause and effect conclusions.