Violence and Homicide Following Partner Infidelity

Abstract

AbstractInfidelity is one of the greatest adaptive challenges of our reproductive lives. A partner’s infidelity can lead to their defection from the relationship and offspring, loss of important resources, and for men, cuckoldry. It is unsurprising, then, that humans have evolved adaptations meant to prevent, curtail, and punish a partner’s infidelity. Among the most devastating of these are the perpetration of intimate partner violence, homicide, uxoricide, and filicide. This chapter reviews theory and supporting evidence that aggression has evolved, in part, as an adaptive set of behavior meant to prevent and respond to infidelity. It begins by describing the particular reproductive challenges posed by infidelity for men and women. Next, it reviews the available evidence that violence and killing is an abhorrent, yet predictable response to real or suspected infidelity, with attention paid to sex differences in these acts. The putative adaptive functions of different types of aggression toward an intimate partner, a sexual rival, and toward offspring are discussed. It then highlights the important role of perceptual biases surrounding infidelity and negative affect, including jealousy and anxiety, in mediating aggressive responses to infidelity. Finally, adaptive explanations of individual differences, cultural contexts, and environmental factors in predicting violent responses to infidelity are discussed and future directions are offered in order to highlight the pressing need for continued research on the adaptive functions of violence occurring in the shadow of infidelity.