Dominance, Evolutionary

Definition

Virtually all human groups are characterized by some sort of hierarchy, in which some individuals enjoy relatively more respect and power than others do. Dominance refers to a person's rank or level in their group hierarchy. The term dominance is also used to refer to an individual's potential for asserting power and authority over more submissive members of his or her group (i.e., those with less dominance).

The concept of dominance should be differentiated from prestige or esteem. Although dominance and prestige often go hand in hand, it is possible to have prestige without power (e.g., a figurehead monarch who has no real authority), just as it is possible to have power without prestige (e.g., a disreputable dictator who, although able to assert authority over others, is neither liked nor respected by others).

Evolutionary Origins

Dominance in humans owes its importance, in part, to a long history of biological evolution. Dominance regulates the behavior of many species, from crickets and crayfish to baboons and bonobo chimpanzees. The term pecking order, for example, comes from the fact that hens commonly fight with one another (using their beaks to peck) to establish dominance over one another. Over time, direct conflict gives way to a more peaceful arrangement in which some hens are dominant over others. Indeed, in humans and other species, while immediate dominance competitions can be very turbulent, with losing individuals sometimes suffering injury or even death, most of the time members of a group settle into a relatively stable hierarchical structure. Relatively stable dominance hierarchies sometimes emerge spontaneously, even among strangers, with individuals settling into their relative positions extremely quickly (some estimates say within just a few minutes of interacting).

Dominance Striving

Dominance is a key characteristic in the social organization of primates. Chimpanzees, for example, are highly dominance oriented and will battle one another for places atop the hierarchy. Dominant chimps tend to puff themselves up, often strutting around as a way of asserting their power over others, while chimps lower in the hierarchy often grovel at their feet, exhibiting submissive gestures and persuading dominant chimps not to attack.

In many ways, humans are not all that different from chimpanzees. Many humans are highly motivated to achieve positions of dominance, and dominant people assert their power over others in myriad ways, from standing tall, speaking loudly, and looking people in the eye to delegating unwanted responsibilities to subordinate members of the group.

Why are humans—like members of other species—so interested in attaining dominance? Throughout evolutionary history, humans that achieved dominance over their peers were rewarded with access to a bounty of social and material resources that helped them better survive and reproduce. Relatively dominant [Page 262]individuals, for example, generally had more and better food, as well as protection from threats posed by other groups. Thus, human ancestors who were inclined to strive for dominance often reaped important benefits and were therefore able to more effectively pass their genes on to subsequent generations. As a result, humans today exhibit a strong, biologically based tendency to seek positions of high social dominance.

...