EVOLUTION AND POLITICAL BEHAVIOR pamukkale univ.

1. EVOLUTION AND
POLITICAL BEHAVIOR:
WHY DO PEOPLE EVER
COOPERATE? AND WHY IS
MOST FIGHTING DONE BY
MEN AND NOT WOMEN?
BY ABDUL WADUD IBRAHIM

2. ‘’I mean that I think I find the psychology of
people more interesting than politics. I think
the psychology of politics is more interesting
than straight politics.’’
-Joan Cusack

3. DEFINE EVOLUTION
According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary,
evolution is defined as;
‘’the gradual development of something’’

4. Political evolution is an
aspect
of phylogeny, which involves
the
invention, elaboration, and
diffusion of novel political
forms
of all kinds

5. what then is ‘‘Political behavior’’?
(Ladswell, 1950) It is a behavior aimed at regulating access to
resources, thus
who is recognised to get what
when to get it
how to get it

6. If social behavior is about playing a game,
political psychology is then about
determining the rules of the game
being played

7. Political behavior is any action regarding
authority in general and government in
particular.
This authority includes schools, churches,
and any others but in particular governmental
authority Trevor Munroe
For example
In casting your vote, you are in a democratic state relating to government by voting for whom you
feel should form the government or by voting against whom you feel should not form the
government.
Point of interest: Political behavior in humans

8. An increasing set of studies have focused
on the fact that political evolution is a
slow process.
Ancestrally, politics was played out
between and within small groups of
foragers of perhaps 25-200 individuals
with stone age technology.

9. Today, politics is played out between and
within large-scale, highly technologically
advanced societies with several million
inhabitats.

10. DEFINE COOPERATION?
 the action or process of working together to the
same end
 assistance, especially by complying readily with
requests.
 the act or process of working together to get
something done.

11. WHY THEN DO PEOPLE EVER COOPERATE?
 Cooperation allows people and groups to work together to achieve a common goal or derive
mutual benefits
 Studies in management shows that, work organisations benefit when their members actively
work for company success.
 Political scientists recognise the importance of cooperation in building both viable and strong
societies
 Law research shows that crime and problems of community disorder are difficult to solve
without the active involvement of community residents
 Those in the public policy have identified the value of cooperation in the process of poicy
making

13. THE INTERESTS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS:
Psychologists are interested in identifying the motivations that are the antecedents of voluntary
cooperation. Their goal is to;
a) Examine the psychology of cooperation
b) Explore the motivations that shape the degree to which people cooperate with others

14. COOPERATION AMONG COUNTRIES

15. Cooperation among countries can help solve joint problems and share knowledge and best
practices.
It often emerges around 3 common vectors:
I. Common challenges that extend beyond national borders.
II. Political, cultural, religious and economiccommonalities that foster integration
III. Inter-country engagement im regional or global processes.

16. WHY IS MOST FIGHTING DONE BY MEN?
Several theories have been
proposed, trying to explain
this phenomenon

17. One of the most popular theories belongs to American
psychologist Leonard Berkowitz. According to him, both
men and women are educated traditionally to carry out
different social and political roles.
leonard berkowitz

18. Berkowitz uses the following reasoning for his theory:
 He thoght of all the ways in which modern western society teaches children that fighting is more
suitable for men than women
 Folk literature and the media constantly present men, and not women fighting.
 Parents buys toy guns for boys and dolls for girls.
Again and again, directly and indirectly, minors learn that men are aggressive, and not women.

19. The fact that males are more aggressive and more violent is
reflected by their anatomy itself; in many animals species that
are heavier, more muscular, are better armed with means of
attack and defense.
In humans, for example, the arms of men are, on average, 75
percent more muscular than those of women; and the top of a
male body is 90 percent stronger than the top of a female
body.

20. Also men have a specific hormonal status. Testesterone, for example, is directly responsible for
inducing competitive and even criminal behavior.
According to Evolutionary Neuroandrogenic Theory, male sex hormones (androgens) are
correlated with the increased ability of males to acquire resources, hierarchical position and
sexual partners (Ellis, 2003, 2004).
All of these anatomical, hormonal, behavioral and evolutionary factors demonstrate the
biological, instinctual inclination of men to be more combative.
Therefore, on an individual and social level, men are involved in acts of violence and crime. The
social environment only cultivates and points out these predispositions towards fighting and
aggression.

21. Thank you
The end