Daly and Wilson in their comprehensive study on homicide reveal that humans in their history of evolution are polygynous (Kanazawa & Still, 2000). In this type of breeding system, some males tend to monopolize their access to the females. The inequality manifested to reproductive success for the two sexes makes the males with the polygynous breeding system to be highly competitive in their reproductive game.
Evolutionary psychology contends that the minds of humans are shaped by the pressure which compels them to reproduce and survive. Humans jealously guard their romantic partners as well as cherishing their closest relatives more than anybody else. Furthermore, humans easily acquire language which is an element of cooperation and survival. Evolutionary psychology recognizes the pressures but also stress the ultimate view of the behavior through the gene's view.
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The intersexual competition that exists amongst males makes them violent, and the many homicides are as a result of the intersexual violence and competition. Homicide starts as a fight on small issues such as status, honor or even reputation. The conflicts can then escalate to another level if neither of the sides is ready to back down. The result of this fight may be death or win for one party. Since females always want to mate males with honor and status, the males can do anything to guard their reputation and gain reproductive success. Often, men go to extremes to gain recognition and honor. One may extend psychological mechanism analysis to other types of intersexual fights amongst men. Petty violent offenses like battery and assault may have a similar fundamental motive to protect their reputation and status to achieve reproductive success. The result of the fight usually depends on several factors such as the strength of the victim, the type of fight and the presence of other people on the scene. Sometimes the fight can lead to death or serious assault. If men can kill to protect their reputation or status, they can also commit less serious offenses such as violence.
However, rape crime does not follow this reasoning since unlike the assault and murders, victims of rape crimes are women and as a result, the fight not an intersexual war of men battling over status or reputation. Even so, the same concept of psychological mechanism which compels men to fight for reproductive success may be used to analyze their involvement in rape crimes. Many studies indicate that most men who commit rape crimes are those of low status who cannot get women legitimately and therefore uses force to satisfy their ego. While rape is not a manifestation of violence or intersexual fight, it is sometimes inspired by the psychological mechanism of men which compels them to fight for reproductive success and get women.
The same analysis may be extended to crimes related to property acquisition. Since women like men with more resources, men tend to increase their access to women through the acquisition of more material resources. Even so, in many societies, these resources are owned by older men. Younger men are most of the time excluded from legitimately acquiring wealth and often resort to illegal means. Stealing is one of the methods that men use to acquire wealth.
I find the perspective of evolutionary theory convincing since it seeks to integrate psychology into other sciences. It bases its argument in the organizing concept of Biology. The perspective views human nature as a universal set of changed psychological adaptations to the persisting problems which keep on occurring in the modern world.
Reference
Kanazawa, S., & Still, M. C. (2000). Why men commit crimes (and why they desist). Sociological Theory , 18 (3), 434-447.
