Guys Gone Wild

Morgan BrownPauline Castellanos Ashley Conner

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Why do parents kill their own Why do parents kill their own children?children?

Martin Daly and Margo Wilson (1988) They don’t.

Parents have to make tough choices.

Why are almost all violent criminals Why are almost all violent criminals men?men?

Donald Brown (1991) and Steven Pinker (2002) Cultural Universals

Daly and Wilson Comprehensive study of homicide

Polygamous societies Males are highly competitive

Big Violence Starts SmallBig Violence Starts Small

“Trivial Altercations”

Death penalty

Rape

Property Crimes

Norms Against CrimeNorms Against Crime

Norms evolved in reaction to crime

Crime pays reproductively

Staying AliveStaying Alive “Staying Alive” theory of female criminality

(Campbell) A female must stay alive long enough to ensure

her child survives to sexual maturity. Females are more risk-averse than males. Occasionally, females must compete for

resources Tactics of competition are usually low-risk

and indirect.

Campbell continuedCampbell continued

Benefits of aggression Men and women do not differ Women must compete for high-quality

mates just as men do Costs of aggression

Men and women DO differ Explains the far lower incidence of

aggression among women

Why women steal?Why women steal?

Survival needs Men steal to show off and gain status

and resources Women steal less than men for

exactly the same reason as they earn less than men.

The ExceptionThe Exception

Women in Syria Why?

Clerical error Cultural or institutional reasons

Domestic Violence HypothesesDomestic Violence Hypotheses Martin Daly

Domestic violence occurs when a husband does not value his wife sufficiently and will mistreat her as a result

Older wives are at greater risk

Margo Wilson Domestic violence is a maladaptive byproduct Younger wives are at greater risk

So, Who’s Right?So, Who’s Right?

Data collection in Canada and the U.S.

Results Younger wives are at much greater risk

of violence and murder than older wives Wilson’s prediction was right

The StatsThe Stats

Importance of wife’s age

Husbands aged 45-54 married to wives aged 15-24 are more than 6 times as likely to kill their wives than young husbands aged 15-24.

Young Men vs. Old MenYoung Men vs. Old Men

Young men kill other males Old men kill their wives

Murderers aged 15-19 86.3% of their victims are males

Murderers aged 65-69 51.4% of their victims are males

Maladaption at its WorstMaladaption at its Worst

Spousal abuse is: an extreme, maladaptive, and largely unintended consequence of a man’s desire for mate-guarding

Younger wives are more valuable

A Common MisunderstandingA Common Misunderstanding

Male’s “Midlife Crisis”

Wife’s imminent menopause and end of her reproductive career

3 Interesting Things3 Interesting Things

1. The exception of Syrian women.

2. Older men kill more young women.

3. The causes of a midlife crisis

Weak ArgumentsWeak Arguments

1. The Syrian Exception 2. Staying Alive Theory

Test Questions—Multiple Choice Test Questions—Multiple Choice 1. According to work done by Daly and Wilson, why do parents kill their

own children? A. Biological parents often do not kill their own children. B. Parents invest more in children who are more likely to be successful. C. None of the above. D. Both A and B.

2. What does Campbell say is the “Staying Alive” theory? A. That men commit crimes in order to protect themselves and “stay

alive.” B. Women do not commit crimes and that is how they “stay alive.” C. Women commit crimes in order to “stay alive” until their children

have reached sexually maturity.

3. The majority of women do not commit crimes. However, in what culture is there an exception to this rule. A. China B. Syria C. Iraq

Test Questions—True/FalseTest Questions—True/False 4. A cultural universal describes why men in

different cultures are not more likely to commit violent crimes.

5. Younger wives are at greater risk of spousal abuse and murder than older wives.

6. Many middle-aged men go through midlife crises because they are middle-aged.

BibliographyBibliography Miller, A.S. & Kanazawa, S. (2007). Why

Beautiful People Have More Daughters: From Dating, Shopping, and Praying to Going to War and Becoming a Billionaire—Two Evolutionary Psychologists Explain Why We Do What We Do, 6. 119-140.