The Male Warrior Hypothesis: The Evolutionary Psychology of Intergroup Conflict, Tribal Aggression, and Warfare

Abstract

AbstractSocial science literature abounds with examples of human tribalism, which is the tendency to categorize individuals on the basis of their group membership and to treat ingroup members benevolently and outgroup members malevolently. I argue that this tribal inclination is an evolved response to the threat of coalitional aggression and intergroup violence that were endemic in ancestral human environments (and are still common today). Here I hypothesize that intergroup conflict has profoundly affected the psychology of men, in particular—the male warrior hypothesis—and present evidence consistent with this hypothesis. I also discuss implications of this hypothesis for managing intergroup relations in our society.