Aggression and Peacefulness in Humans and Other Primates

James Silverberg, J. Patrick Gray

Oxford University Press, Mar 19, 1992 - Psychology - 328 pages

This book explores the role of aggression in primate social systems and its implications for human behavior. Many people look to primate studies to see if and how we might be able to predict violent behavior in humans, or ultimately to control war. Of particular interest in the study of primate aggression are questions such as: how do primates use aggression to maintain social organization; what are the costs of aggression; why do some primates avoid aggressive behavior altogether. Students and researchers in primatology, behavioral biology, anthropology, and psychology will read with interest as the editors and contributors to this book address these and other basic research questions about aggression. They bring new information to the topic as well as an integrated view of aggression that combines important evolutionary considerations with developmental, sociological and cultural perspectives.

Contents

• 1 Violence and Peacefulness as Behavioral Potentialities of Primates: 1
• A Critique of the Seville Statement on Violence: 37
• 3 Dominance Hierarchies as Partial Orders A New Look at Old Ideas: 57
• 4 Determinants of Aggression in Squirrel Monkeys Saimiri: 72
• 5 Causes and Consequences of Nonaggression in the Woolly Spider Monkey or Muriqui Brachyteles arachnoides: 100
• 6 The Development of Dominance Relations Before Puberty in Cercopithecine Societies: 117
• 7 The Development of Agonistic and Affiliative Structures in Preschool Play Groups: 150
• 8 Variability in the Patterns of Agonistic Behavior of Preschool Children: 172
• A Comparative Study of Waorani and Semai: 189
• A Preliminary Essay in Political Ecology: 214
• Extensions from a Crosscultural Study: 271
• The Seville Statement on Violence: 295
• Index: 299

Popular passages

Page 238 - They then returned to the ship, and discovered on the sands, in beyond the headland, three mounds: they went up to these, and saw that they were three skin canoes with three men under each.‎

Page 295 - ... significantly to the International Year of Peace. Misuse of scientific theories and data to justify violence and war is not new but has been made since the advent of modern science. For example, the theory of evolution has been used to justify not only war, but also genocide, colonialism, and suppression of the weak. We state our position in the form of five propositions. We are aware that there are many other issues about violence and war that could be fruitfully addressed from the standpoint...‎

Page 38 - Be warned that if you wish, as I do, to build a society in which individuals cooperate generously and unselfishly towards a common good, you can expect little help from biological nature. Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.‎

Page 297 - USA Jose M. Rodriguez Delgado, Neurophysiology, Centro de Estudios Neurobiologicos, Madrid, Spain. Jose Luis Diaz, Ethology, Instituto Mexicano de Psiquiatria, Mexico DF, Mexico. Andrzej Eliasz, Individual Differences Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland. Santiago Genoves, Biological Anthropology, Instituto de Estudios Antropologicos, Mexico DF, Mexico.‎

Bibliographic information

• Title: Aggression and Peacefulness in Humans and Other Primates
• Editors: James Silverberg, J. Patrick Gray
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1992
• ISBN: 0195361237, 9780195361230
• Length: 328 pages
• Subjects: Psychology / Movements / Behaviorism; Psychology / Social Psychology; Science / Life Sciences / Zoology / Primatology; Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social