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Sexual Selection and the Psychology of Intergroup Conflict

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The Evolution of Violence

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Psychology ((EVOLPSYCH))

Abstract

Intergroup conflict perpetrated by male aggressors throughout human evolutionary history is likely to have shaped psychological systems at the foundations of modern forms of intergroup conflict. We posit that sexual selection processes operating at both intra- and intersexual levels have shaped psychological biases in intergroup relations, and that these biases reflect the unique adaptive problems that differ between men and women in coping with male aggressors from groups other than one’s own. Here we survey wide-ranging evidence across disciplines consistent with this perspective. In doing so, we pay special attention to emerging research within social, personality, and evolutionary psychology showing that (a) males are the primary targets and agents of group-based animus and competitive striving, and that (b) intergroup prejudice is modulated by gender differences in psychological traits or states relevant to threat responses that differ in their adaptive utility between the sexes—namely, aggressive dominance motives for men and the avoidance of sexual coercion for women. Implications for a sex-specific, evolved psychology of intergroup conflict are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, Psychology Building East Lansing, 48824, MI, USA

    Carlos David Navarrete

  2. School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center, P.O.Box 167, 46150, Herzliya, Israel

    Melissa M. McDonald

Authors
  1. Carlos David Navarrete
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  2. Melissa M. McDonald
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Correspondence to Carlos David Navarrete .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Ranald D. Hansen

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Navarrete, C., McDonald, M. (2014). Sexual Selection and the Psychology of Intergroup Conflict. In: Shackelford, T., Hansen, R. (eds) The Evolution of Violence. Evolutionary Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9314-3_6

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