Human rape: Adaptation or by‐product?

Palmer, Craig T.

doi:10.1080/00224499109551614

Cited by 68 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 70 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…One hypothesis posits that rape is generated by an adaptation that func-tions as a facultative male reproductive tactic that contributes directly to reproductive success by increasing number of sexual partners (e.g., Shields and Shields 1983;Thornhill and Thornhill 1983). The other hypothesis posits that there was no direct selection for rape over evolutionary history, but instead it is a by-product of other male psychological adaptations, particularly those associated with sexual variety and aggression (Palmer 1991;Thornhill and Palmer 2000).…”

Section: Sexual Coercion and Forced In-pair Copulation As Sperm Compementioning

confidence: 99%

“…KEY WORDS Anti-cuckoldry; Forced in-pair copulation; Mate retention; Sexual coercion; Sperm competition R ape in humans may or may not be generated by a specialized psychological adaptation (Alexander and Noonan 1979;Palmer 1991;Thornhill and Palmer 2000;Thornhill and Thornhill 1992). Although several hypotheses have been proposed, there are only two likely candidates for evolutionary explanations of rape in humans.…”

Section: Sexual Coercion and Forced In-pair Copulation As Sperm Compementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sexual coercion and forced in-pair copulation as sperm competition tactics in humans

Goetz

Shackelford

2006

Hum Nat

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rape of women by men might be generated either by a specialized rape adaptation or as a by-product of other psychological adaptations. Although increasing number of sexual partners is a proposed benefit of rape according to the "rape as an adaptation" and the "rape as a by-product" hypotheses, neither hypothesis addresses directly why some men rape their long-term partners, to whom they already have sexual access. In two studies we tested specific hypotheses derived from the general hypothesis that sexual coercion in the context of an intimate relationship may function as a sperm competition tactic. We hypothesized that men's sexual coercion in the context of an intimate relationship is related positively to his partner's perceived infidelities and that men's sexual coercion is related positively to their mate retention behaviors (behaviors designed to prevent a partner's infidelity). The results from Study 1 (self-reports from 246 men) and Study 2 (partner-reports from 276 women) supported the hypotheses. The Discussion section addresses limitations of this research and highlights future directions for research on sexual coercion in intimate relationships.

show abstract

Section: Sexual Coercion and Forced In-pair Copulation As Sperm Compementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sexual Coercion and Forced In-pair Copulation As Sperm Compementioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual coercion and forced in-pair copulation as sperm competition tactics in humans

Goetz

Shackelford

2006

Hum Nat

127

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Shields and Shields, 1983;Thornhill and Thornhill, 1983] and by-product [e.g. Palmer, 1991;Symons, 1979;Thornhill and Thornhill, 1992] theories predict, genetic effects on sexual coercion were found in this study. According to the social learning theory, variation in sexual coercion is expected to be influenced only by environmental effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…In contrast to the rape-adaptation hypothesis, the by-product theory regards sexual coercion as a side effect of more general adaptations [Palmer 1991;Symons, 1979;Thornhill and Thornhill, 1992]. Specifically, it is assumed that (a) there is a higher desire for sexual variety in men than in women, and a lower threshold for interpreting desire in potential partners; and (b) men have a general tendency to use force to attain a reward, which is suggested to have been correlated with successful reproduction and survival in our ancestral history [Thornhill and Thornhill, 1992].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Genetic effects on male sexual coercion

Johansson

Santtila

Harlaar

et al. 2007

Aggressive Behavior

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The genetic and environmental influences on sexual coercion, and to what extent its associations with alcohol use and psychopathy depend on shared genetic and environmental effects, were explored in a Finnish population-based sample of 938 men, aged 33-43 years, using the classical twin study design. All three phenotypes were associated positively and affected by genes (sexual coercion 28%, alcohol use 60%, psychopathy 54%), with 46% of the correlation between sexual coercion and psychopathy, 89% of the correlation between alcohol use and psychopathy and 100% of the correlation between sexual coercion and alcohol use being explained by shared genetic effects. Further, the results showed that a proportion of the variance in sexual coercion was derived from a highly genetic source that was common with alcohol use and psychopathy. This latent factor was hypothesized to reflect a general tendency for antisocial behavior that is pervasive across different situations. Relevant theories on sexual coercion were discussed in light of the results.

show abstract

“…This argument is founded on evidence that men are evolved to conditionally manipulate the properties of their ejaculates when it is expedient (Baker and Bellis 1995). Given the possibility, based on ethnographic evidence from relict band and village societies, that a significant proportion of rapes in ancestral environments were group rapes of outgroup women (Chagnon 1992;Divale and Harris 1976;Gat 2000;Hewlett 1991;Otterbein 1994;Ritchie 1996;Strathern and Stewart 2000)--where sperm competition would have been intense---it is not implausible that the ejaculate of a man committing rape could differ from that of a man engaged in consensual relations (see Palmer 1991;Thornhill and Palmer 2000).…”

Section: Adaptive Explanations For Higher Rape-pregnancy Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?

Gottschall

2003

Hum Nat

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Is a given instance of rape more likely to result in pregnancy than a given instance of consensual sex? This paper undertakes a review and critique of the literature on rape-pregnancy. Next, it presents our own estimation, from U.S. government data, of pregnancy rates for reproductive age victims of penile-vaginal rape. Using data on birth control usage from the Statistical Abstract of the United States, we then form an estimate of rapepregnancy rates adjusted for the substantial number of women in our sample who would likely have been protected by oral contraception or an IUD. Our analysis suggests that per-incident rape-pregnancy rates exceed per-incident consensual pregnancy rates by a sizable margin, even before adjusting for the use of relevant forms of birth control. Possible explanations for this phenomenon are discussed, as are its implications to ongoing debates over the ultimate causes of rape.

show abstract

Human rape: Adaptation or by‐product?

Cited by 68 publications

References 70 publications

Sexual coercion and forced in-pair copulation as sperm competition tactics in humans

Sexual coercion and forced in-pair copulation as sperm competition tactics in humans

Genetic effects on male sexual coercion

Are per-incident rape-pregnancy rates higher than per-incident consensual pregnancy rates?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About