An Ethological Perspective on Dominance Behavior

Abstract

In this chapter I trace the developmental history of my interest in the observational study of adolescent behavior, beginning with my first exposure to sociological and psychological studies of adolescents. I found them unsatisfying. My conversion to an ethological approach to issues of adolescence is then charted, focusing on several basic ethological conceptual and methodological assumptions. Next, questions of human ethology in general and my particular interest in dominance behaviors and relationships among adolescents are presented. These issues form the basis of the succeeding research reported on adolescents of varying ages and of both sexes at summer camp.