Issue 4
Vol. 43
2001
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K.
T. Kalveram As
supposed by MERZ already in the sixties, a precise psychological
definition and classification of
phenomenologically aggressive behaviour is difficult if it is
not consequently traced back to biological function. In the present
paper, therefore, aggression is defined biologically as a type of
social interaction aiming at a conspecific and reducing its fitness.
In order to classify kinds of aggressive behaviour and violence,
evolution of this type of social behaviour has been simulated by a
computer model. Results suggest that the evolution of aggression
between conspecifics starts with 'unconditional aggression',
where injurying fights with everybody are the rule, continues
to 'unconditional aggression paired with the ability to flee', and
ends with 'conditional aggression paired with the ability to flee',
where injurying fights are avoided between g-relatives, but not
with non-g-relatives. Thereby, gene relationship, or shortly
„g-relationship“, is defined as a genetical correspondence between
persons or animals with respect to the particular attribute under
consideration, here aggression and its control, whereby ritual
threatening, dominance behaviour and peaceful competition function as
relationship detectors. Conditional aggression is a strong
evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) superseding completely all other aggressive strategies. The evolutionary
process results in a homogeneous population of g-relatives behaving
non aggressively when meeting each other, but who are highly hostile
against non-g-relatives or persons classified as „foreigners“.
Therefore, aggressive behaviour as observed in men could be the end
product of an evolutionary process, in the course of which the
preceeding populations have been extinguished. Key words: Aggression, evolution, control of aggression, relationship detector, ritualized threatening Prof.
Dr. Karl Theodor Kalveram
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