The Cultural Contribution To Jealousy: Cross-Cultural Aggression in Sexual Jealousy Situations

Abstract

This study explores the cultural contribution to emotional responses. Specifically, it examines the contribution of social structures to the severi ty of aggression in sexual jealousy situations. It is hypothesized that the aggression in jealousy situations is correlated with the cultural importance attached to being married, the limitations placed on nonmarital and extra marital sexual gratification, the emphasis on private ownership of proper ty, and the requirement of personal descendants. The social structures and behavioral patterns that are associated with these variables were rated in 92 preindustrial societies and correlated with the aggressiveness of the responses of men and women in jealousy situations. Stepwise multiple regression analyses on the male data revealed that the social structures and behavioral patterns that are associated with pair-bonding, sexual grat ification, and property accounted for 29 percent of the variance of the responses in jealousy situations. The contribution of the behavioral pat terns that are associated with personal descendants was negligible. None of the variance of the female responses was accounted for by the cultural variables. The latter finding was attributed to the limited options that are available to women for coping with unfaithful men.