Violent Mates

Abstract

Abstract The optimal fitness outcomes of mating relationships often differ for men and women, resulting in conflict. Selection favored diverse tactics in both sexes capable of moving the fitness optima in their favor, ranging from altruism to violence. Our ancestors addressed some adaptive problems of human mating with cost-inflicting, even violent tactics. The adaptive problems include mate poachers, sexual infidelity, conflict over resource allocation, mate value discrepancies, relationship termination, and mate reacquisition. Violence directed toward mates is highly context dependent. Myriad situational factors affected the fitness costs and benefits of mating violence, selecting for context-sensitive psychologies and tactics in aggressors to manipulate victims and co-evolved victim defenses to avoid or minimize their victimization.