Are evolutionary psychology assumptions about sex and mating behaviors valid? A historical and cross-cultural exploration

Abstract

In this essay, I make a case for the thesis that much of the uniformity that we see in mate selection, marriage practices, and children rearing is an outcome of a European empire based on Judeo-Christian values that once held control of most of the territories of the world. This view contrasts with the one offered by evolutionary psychologists, according to whom such uniformity is explained by the existence of specific psychological mechanisms that have been inherited from the Pleistocene because they were advantageous in terms of reproductive fitness during ‘ancestral times.’ Historical records demonstrate that, prior to the arrival of European colonists to many regions of the world, there was a fantastic diversity of mating practices and childrearing styles. Historical records also demonstrate that the European conquerors were discomfited by these practices and used force and persuasion to transform the marital and sexual values of these communities. I also examine existing hunting and forager communities and find that most of them practice a communal form of childrearing that involves both related and unrelated adults. Among forager communities that have greater contact with the outside world, there is much more assimilation to larger state values. Finally, even in the most patriarchal societies, fathers exert a great deal of control over the rearing and education of young children. In many patriarchal communities, even when the mother leaves for the natal family, she is forced to leave her children behind with the father’s family so the children are reared with their father’s family ideals and values. Thus, successful parenting for the father may involve passing on his family traditions to his children.