An evolutionary perspective on interpersonal violence : sex differences and personality links

Interpersonal violence - violence among those who have a non-zero level of acquaintance - affects as many as one third of men and women (Koss, 1992). Interpersonal violence includes psychological aggression (e.g. verbal abuse), physical aggression (e.g. bullying), and sexual coercion (e.g. rape), and occurs in both acquaintance and intimate partner contexts (Figueredo et al., 2012). There has been a considerable amount of research on interpersonal violence and thus there is no shortage of theoretical accounts that try to explain it. A sociologist might suggest interpersonal violence is a function of income equality and other institutional factors (Ember and Ember, 2004). Geneticists might suggest interpersonal violence is a function of genes that code for aggression and testosterone (Viding, 2004). Feminists might contend interpersonal violence is part of oppressive patriarchal systems (Johnson, 1995). Social psychologists would contend that interpersonal violence is learned from models in one's life (Bandura, 1983) or in the media (Berkowitz et al., 1962). And last, but not least, clinical psychologists have conceptualized interpersonal violence as one of the diagnostic criteria for personality traits such as psychopathy (Hare, 1993).