Competitive Communication Among Women

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Human Evolution ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Communication Models ◽  
Competitive Bargaining ◽  
Sociocultural Experiences ◽  
Bargaining Positions

According to many communication scholars, aggression is a consequence of sociocultural experiences and less often considered an evolved response to environmental triggers. While there are many factors of aggression, an evolutionary rationale helps to isolate which of these factors are more crucial in explaining aggression among women, one of which is physical attractiveness. Far from superficial, attractive women enjoy better bargaining positions during intrasexual competition than those less attractive, and aggress to negotiate better treatment from rivals. However, evidence of this is mixed because women exaggerate their physical attractiveness during times of heightened ovulatory fertility. Consequently, women’s competitive bargaining positions are based on the interplay between everyday attractiveness and their exaggerations of physical attractiveness. In comparison to traditional social psychology and communication models of aggression, human evolution more parsimoniously explains the ways women functionally match their communication of aggression to many environmental triggers and individual differences between competitors.

Intersexual and Intrasexual Competition and Their Relation to Jealousy

2019 ◽  
pp. 214-236
Author(s):  
Abraham P. Buunk ◽  
Karlijn Massar ◽  
Pieternel Dijkstra ◽  
Ana María Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Attachment Styles ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Online Infidelity ◽  
Intersexual Competition

This chapter discusses sex differences in intersexual competition and describes particularly the consequences of such competition for conflict between the sexes, as well as for sex differences in mate guarding and, relatedly, in the types of infidelity that evoke jealousy, including online infidelity. It also discusses individual differences in jealousy as related to attachment styles and describes the effects of height, hormones, and the menstrual cycle on jealousy. Next, the chapter moves on to intrasexual competition and discusses, among other topics, intrasexual competition among men and among women, the role of sex differences in rival characteristics in evoking jealousy, the role of attachment styles and hormones, and individual differences in intrasexual competitiveness.

Individual Differences in Valuing Mates' Physical Attractiveness

2006 ◽  
Vol 99 (2) ◽  
pp. 502-511
Author(s):  
Eugene W. Mathes ◽  
Abby Bielser ◽  
Ticcarra Cassell ◽  
Sarah Summers ◽  
Aggie Witowski
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Evolutionary Theory ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Women College Students

To investigate correlates of valuing physical attractiveness in a mate, it was hypothesized that valuing physical attractiveness in a mate would correlate with sex and valuing promiscuous sex, status, personal physical attractiveness, beauty, and order. Men and women college students completed measures of the extent to which they valued physical attractiveness in a mate and other variables. Valuing physical attractiveness in a mate was correlated with sex (men valued physical attractiveness in a mate more than did women) and valuing promiscuous sex and status, and, for women, valuing personal physical attractiveness. The results were explained in terms of evolutionary theory.

scholarly journals Personality Psychology

Psychology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Latzman ◽  
Yuri Shishido
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Personality Psychology ◽  
Individual Person ◽  
Psychological Science ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Broad Field ◽  
Diverse Field ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Dynamic Organization

The title of “Godfather of Personality” may well be ascribed to Gordon Allport, who was the first to make public efforts to promote the “field of personality” in the 1930s (see Allport and Vernon 1930, cited under Gordon Allport). Personality psychology—located within what many argue is the broadest, most encompassing branch of psychological science—can be defined as the study of the dynamic organization, within the individual, of psychological systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings (see Allport 1961, also cited under Gordon Allport). The field of personality psychology is concerned with both individual differences—that is, the way in which people differ from one another—and intrapersonal functioning, the set of processes taking place within any individual person. The area of personality psychology is often grouped with social psychology in research programs at universities; however, these are quite different approaches to understanding individuals. While social psychology attempts to understand the individual in interpersonal or group contexts (i.e., “when placed in Situation A, how do people, in general, respond?”), personality psychology investigates individual differences (i.e., “how are people similar and different in how they respond to the same situation?”). Personality psychology has a long history and, as such, is an extremely large and broad field that includes a large number of approaches. Discerning readers will quickly note that the current chapter is largely focused on what has come to be the most commonly studied perspective, the trait approach. Those readers interested in other approaches are referred to a number of resources focusing on Other Approaches within the diverse field.

Sexual Competition among Women

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Arnocky ◽  
Tracy Vaillancourt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Indirect Aggression ◽  
Female Competition ◽  
Biparental Care ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Sexual Competition ◽  
Theory Of Evolution ◽  
Opposite Sex

Darwin (1871) observed in his theory of evolution by means of sexual selection that “it is the males who fight together and sedulously display their charms before the female” (p. 272). Researchers examining intrasexual competition have since focused disproportionately on male competition for mates, with female competition receiving far less attention. In this chapter, we review evidence that women do indeed compete with one another to secure and maintain reproductive benefits. We begin with an overview of the evolutionary theory of competition among women, with a focus on biparental care and individual differences in men’s mate value. We discuss why competition among women is characteristically different from that of men and highlight evidence supporting women’s use of epigamic display of physical attractiveness characteristics and indirect aggression toward same-sex peers and opposite-sex romantic partners as sexually competitive tactics. Finally, individual differences in competition among women are discussed.

Individual Differences in Social Comparison

2019 ◽  
pp. 77-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham P. Buunk ◽  
Frederick X. Gibbons ◽  
Pieternel Dijkstra ◽  
Zlatan Krizan
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Social Comparison ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Close Relationships ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Personality Variables ◽  
Work And Organizations ◽  
Comparison Information

Individuals differ considerably in their social comparison orientation (SCO), that is, the extent to which and the frequency with which they compare themselves with others. In this chapter, the major findings with the scale assessing SCO are discussed. After presenting the basic psychometric properties of the scale and the relationships with various personality variables, the authors discuss how SCO is related to, among others, seeking upward and downward social comparison information, to establishing one’s risk, and to assessing one’s future prospects. Next, we present particularly the role of SCO in moderating the effects of upward and downward social comparison information with respect to a variety of contexts and dimensions, including close relationships, ageing, work and organizations, depression, health, and physical attractiveness. Special attention is paid to the question if SCO fosters identification and assimilation rather than contrast.

A Measure of Individual Differences in Sex Stereotyping and Sex Discrimination: The “Macho” Scale

1977 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wayne J. Villemez ◽  
John C. Touhey
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Sex Discrimination ◽  
Role Orientation ◽  
Sex Role Orientation ◽  
Sex Role Stereotyping ◽  
Personality Correlates

A personality measure of individual differences in sex-role stereotyping and sex discrimination was developed. The “Macho” scale fulfills satisfactory psychometric criteria of internal consistency and reliability, and the 28 items are controlled for social desirability. Personality correlates of macho include sex-role orientation among males, and authoritarianism, and the scale discriminates between criterion groups selected from different ethnic and educational subcultures. Research applications of the scale to experimental and correlational studies in personality, social psychology, and sociology are proposed.

Female Virtual Intrasexual Competition and Its Consequences

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose C. Yong ◽  
Norman P. Li ◽  
Katherine A. Valentine ◽  
April R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Selection ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Deep Level ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Psychological States ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Real People ◽  
Key Dimensions

Intrasexual competition is a key component of sexual selection. Evolutionarily, women compete for access to and retention of mates on key dimensions that men have evolved to value and prioritize in their long- and short-term mates, in particular physical attractiveness. Such competition evolved to be adaptive in ancestral environments as the perceived competition consisted of real individuals. However, underlying psychological mechanisms for competition are excessively triggered and more continuously engaged in modern environments, because these psychological mechanisms for social comparison and competition, at a deep level, do not differentiate between real people and imagined intrasexual competition in the form of mass media images. Utilizing an evolutionary mismatch framework, this chapter explores ways that women are psychologically influenced by the pervasive presence of virtual same-sex competitors for mates. Various negative psychological states in modern societies (e.g., depression, eating disorders) may be linked to virtual intrasexual competition.

scholarly journals Intrasexual Competition as a Predictor of Women’s Judgments of Revenge Pornography Offending

Sexual Abuse ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 107906321989430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean Fido ◽  
Craig A. Harper ◽  
Mia A. Davis ◽  
Dominic Petronzi ◽  
Sophie Worrall
Keyword(s):  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Male Victims ◽  
Callous Unemotional ◽  
Callous Unemotional Traits ◽  
Unemotional Traits ◽  
Victimization History

Recent legislative developments have led to a marked increase in the empirical investigation of motivations and judgments of so-called acts of “revenge pornography” offending. In two independently sampled studies, we used moderation analyses to investigate whether higher levels of intrasexual competition predicted more lenient judgments of revenge pornography offenses as a function of sex (Study 1, N = 241), and whether such relationships would be further moderated by physical attractiveness (Study 2, N = 402). Potential covariates of callous-unemotional traits, empathy, and victimization history were controlled for. Opposing our hypotheses, we consistently observed a trend for higher levels of intrasexual competition being associated with more lenient judgments of revenge pornography offenses involving male victims by female participants. The results are discussed in terms of intrasexual competition potentially sharing variance with unobserved constructs in the wider sexological literature, and of the key relevance of these findings for future empirical investigation into judgments of nonconsensual image–based offending.

Individual differences in intrasexual competition

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham P. Buunk ◽  
Maryanne Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Intrasexual Competition
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