Citation

Buss DM, Duntley JD. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2011; 16(5): 411-419.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.avb.2011.04.015

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An evolutionary perspective anticipates predictable forms of sexual conflict in human mating relationships. Humans have evolved a psychology of tactical deployment designed to influence a partner's behavior to be closer to the actor's own optimum. Tactics are diverse, ranging from benefit-bestowing to cost-inflicting. We discuss adaptive problems toward which cost-inflicting violent tactics are utilized: mate poachers, sexual infidelity, mate pregnancy by an intrasexual rival, resource infidelity, resource scarcity, mate value discrepancies, stepchildren, relationship termination, and mate reacquisition. Discussion focuses on the context-dependence of intimate partner violence, the costs of perpetrating violent tactics, the underlying psychology of aggressors, the manipulated psychology of victims, and co-evolved defenses to prevent intimate partner violence and to minimize its costs when it occurs.