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Competence and the Evolutionary Origins of Status and Power in Humans

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Abstract

In this paper I propose an evolutionary model of human status that expands upon an earlier model proposed by Henrich and Gil-White Evolution and Human Behavior, 22,165–196 (2001). According to their model, there are two systems of status attainment in humans—“two ways to the top”: the dominance route, which involves physical intimidation, a psychology of fear and hubristic pride, and provides coercive power, and the prestige route, which involves skills and knowledge (competence), a psychology of attraction to experts and authentic pride, and translates mainly into influence. The two systems would have evolved in response to different selective pressures, with attraction to experts serving a social learning function and coinciding with the evolution of cumulative culture. In this paper I argue that (1) the only one way to the top is competence because dominance itself involves competence and confers prestige, so there is no such thing as pure dominance status; (2) dominance in primates has two components: a competitive one involving physical coercion and a cooperative one involving competence-based attraction to high-ranking individuals (proto-prestige); (3) competence grants the same general type of power (dependence-based) in humans and other primates; (4) the attractiveness of high rank in primates is homologous with the admiration of experts in humans; (5) upon the evolution of cumulative culture, the attractiveness of high rank was co-opted to generate status differentials in a vast number of culturally generated domains of activity. I also discuss, in this perspective, the origins of hubristic pride, authentic pride, and nonauthoritarian leadership.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Robert Crépeau, Evelyne Gauthier, Kim Hill, Shona Teijeiro, Robert Walker, and three anonymous reviewers for helpful discussions or comments on the manuscript, and Evelyne Gauthier for help with the figures.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Montreal, CP. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montreal, QC, Canada, H3C 3J7

    Bernard Chapais

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Chapais, B. Competence and the Evolutionary Origins of Status and Power in Humans. Hum Nat 26, 161–183 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-015-9227-6

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