Definition
Forms of social aggression
Introduction
From an evolutionary perspective, aggression against a competitor constitutes an adaptive response to an obstacle that threatens an animal’s survival and reproductive success. Because females generally engage in less direct, intense, and overt aggressive behavior than males (Archer 2004), and variance in reproductive success is lower for females (Trivers 1972), researchers often conclude that females confront fewer obstacles than males to survival and reproductive success.
Reproductive success, however, poses differing challenges for female versus male mammals. Protection of internal reproductive organs; reduction of stressors prior to conception and during gestation; adequate nourishment during lactation; and provision of safety, nourishment, and educational and socialization oportunities to offspring define females’ reproductive success in unique ways. Further, in many...
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Benenson, J.F. (2016). Women’s Use of Direct Versus Disguised Social Aggression. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_883-1
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