'A Change of Perspective: Integrating Evolutionary Psychology Into the Historiography of Violence.' (original) (raw)

Future agendas for research on violent crime: The challenge to history from evolutionary psychology

Crime, Histoire & Sociétés/Crime, History and Societies , 2017

This is a short contribution to the forthcoming twentieth-anniversary special issue of _Crime, Histoire & Sociétés / Crime, History and Societies_, 2017, on future agendas for research on the history of crime and criminal justice. It argues that historians of violence should take into account -- and attempt to learn from -- evolutionary psychological approaches to this topic. In particular, the essay points to sex differences in violence as an area where such an approach could be useful.

The Evolutionary Psychology of Violence

This paper reviews theory and research on the evolutionary psychology of violence. First, I examine evidence suggesting that humans have experienced an evolutionary history of violence. Next, I discuss violence as a context-sensitive strategy that might have provided benefits to our ancestors under certain circumstances. I then focus on the two most common forms of violence that plague humans —violence over status contests and intimate partner violence— outlining psychological mechanisms involved in each. Finally, I suggest that greater progress will be made by shifting the study from contexts to mechanisms.

Evolutionary Perspectives on Violence, Homicide, and War

The Oxford Handbook of Evolutionary Perspectives on Violence, Homicide, and War, 2012

We review and discuss the evolutionary psychological literature on violence, homicide, and war in humans and nonhumans, and in doing so we argue that an evolutionary perspective can substantially enhance our understanding of these behaviors. We provide a brief primer on evolutionary psychology, describing basic tenets of the field. The theories of sexual selection and parental investment are explained and subsequently used to highlight the evolutionary logic underlying the use of violence by humans and other animals. Our ...

Expanding Evolutionary Psychology: toward a Better Understanding of Violence and Aggression

Social Science Information, 2003

The “mainstream” evolutionary psychology model is currently under criticism from scientists of other persuasions wanting to expand the model or to make it more realistic in various ways. We argue that focusing on the environment as if it consisted only of social (or sociocultural) factors gives too limited a perspective if evolutionary approaches are to understand the behavior of modern humans. Taking the case of violence, we argue that numerous novel environmental factors of nutritional and physical-chemical origin should be considered as relevant proximate factors. The common thesis presented here is that several aspects of the biotic or abiotic environment are able to change brain chemistry, thus predisposing individuals to violence and aggression in given contexts. In the past, aggressive behavior has had a number of useful functions that were of particular importance to our ancestors' survival and reproduction. However, some of the conditions in our novel environment, which...

Why can't we all just get along? Evolutionary perspectives on violence, homicide, and war

2012

We review and discuss the evolutionary psychological literature on violence, homicide, and war in humans and non-humans, and in doing so argue that an evolutionary perspective can substantially enhance our understanding of these behaviors. We provide a brief primer on evolutionary psychology, describing the basic tenets of the field. The theories of sexual selection and parental investment are explained and subsequently used to highlight the evolutionary logic underlying the use of violence by humans and other animals. Our examination of violent behavior begins with a focus on non-human animals, reviewing the different contexts in which violence occurs and discussing how an evolutionary perspective can explain why it occurs in these contexts. We then examine violence in humans and illustrate the similarities and differences between human and non-human violence. Finally, we summarize what an evolutionary perspective can offer in terms of understanding violence, homicide, and war, and...

Origins of Violence

In a society where violence is quickly becoming a growing problem, many psychologists, criminologists and even sociologists have long debated the issue of genetics and violence. They have scrambled to provide a thorough yet simple answer to the question “Is the tendency for violence genetic?” Scientifically, we do have the capacity to scan the brain and examine genetic material so it’s no wonder that there are indeed several ways by which science, by way of research, can determine if an individual is genetically pre-disposed to violence, thus increasing the likelihood that s/he will become more violent in comparison to those who are not. Over the decades, researchers have conducted several landmark studies that helped to reveal the role of certain genes that could result in genetic disposition towards extreme violence. One in particular, Monoamine Oxidase-A, has been identified as a precursor to violent behavior and antisocial behavior among humans (Moosajee, 2003). Likewise, head scans of individuals with violent histories reveal a stark difference in brain activity between these individuals’ prefrontal cortex as compared to the brain scans of the rest of the population (Raine, 2002). This points to strong evidence of genetic predisposition to crime among some individuals.