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Dominance hierarchies: Difference between revisions
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A '''dominance hierarchy''' is a social arrangement in which each member is seen to have a rank that everyone mostly agrees upon. | A '''dominance hierarchy''' is a social arrangement in animals in which each member is seen to have a rank that everyone mostly agrees upon. | ||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
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Rather than fighting in each conflict situation, the animal of higher status gets to decide in a dominance hierarchy. This enables cooperation by reducing chances of aggression which may explain why such behaviors have evolved in many animals. | Rather than fighting in each conflict situation, the animal of higher status gets to decide in a dominance hierarchy. This enables cooperation by reducing chances of aggression which may explain why such behaviors have evolved in many animals. | ||
The highest ranking animal is called ''alpha'', the next highest ''beta'' and so on. In many species, the | The highest ranking animal is called ''alpha'', the next highest ''beta'' and so on. In many species, the alpha animals have frequently some interest in maintaining alliances with lower ranking ones to avoid a beta/omega uprising. | ||
Dominance hierarchies are regulated by various innate behaviors and traits, e.g. the ability to remember and recognize one's own and other's ranks quickly and reliably, but they also include emotions and signals like envy (status drive), acceptance of lower status (withdrawal, blushing etc.). | Dominance hierarchies are regulated by various innate behaviors and traits, e.g. the ability to remember and recognize one's own and other's ranks quickly and reliably, but they also include emotions and signals like envy (status drive), acceptance of lower status (withdrawal, blushing etc.). | ||
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In most animals, rank is only decided by strength and health, but in others also by [[beauty|ornament]]. | In most animals, rank is only decided by strength and health, but in others also by [[beauty|ornament]]. | ||
Humans are more complex than all other animals, so a wide variety of things affect status such as competence, looks/ornament, strength, humor, socioeconomic status etc. | Humans are more complex than all other animals, so a wide variety of things affect status such as competence, looks/ornament, strength, humor, socioeconomic status etc. Humans are part of many hierarchies at the same time. | ||
Modern human status hierarchies are both larger and a lot more strict than natural ones. For example status is explicitly represented e.g. by occupational prestige, income, educational qualifications etc. often within huge organizational or economic systems. Of course many of the ancient ways of organizing smaller hierarchies are nearly unchanged, e.g. the way people respect tall and strong men | Modern human status hierarchies are both larger and a lot more strict than natural ones that one finds in hunter-gatherers. For example status is explicitly represented e.g. by occupational prestige, income, educational qualifications etc. often within huge organizational or economic systems. Of course many of the ancient ways of organizing smaller hierarchies are nearly unchanged, e.g. the way people respect tall and strong men and also good looking people etc. | ||
Men's hierarchies revolve more around the ability to extract resources, but also looks. Since men benefit from cooperation in resource extraction their intrasexual competition is more productive and cooperative than women's. | |||
Women's hierarchies revolve around looks and a reputation of loyalty and other trait that men desire in women. Women's intrasexual competition hence mainly consists in destroying one another's reputation as well as gossiping about looks. | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[Hypergamy]] | * [[Hypergamy]] | ||