ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how dominance hierarchies emerge from individual interactions, and describes one example of dominance hierarchies in a non-human animal species. It explores the evolutionary psychology of status and social dominance, phenomena that are observed widely throughout the animal world from crayfish to humans. Another source of evidence about sex differences comes from research on social dominance orientation. The chapter presents several correlates of dominance and also analyses why humans have evolved submissive strategies. An evolutionary theory of status must specify the adaptive problems that are solved by ascending status hierarchies, as well as explain why individuals accept subordinate positions within hierarchies. The existence of hierarchies poses adaptive problems to which animals have evolved solutions, including motivation to get ahead and strategies to cope with subordination. One of the keys to prestige signaling is that others have to be aware of the individual’s signals in order to accord prestige.
