Evolutionary Psych-Class 19

evolved maternal range

•Mothers have not evolved to love all children unconditionally.

•Maternal feelings exist on a continuum from commitment to hostility.

•Circumstances like resource availability and child traits influence feelings.

•Maternal negativity is not inherently unnatural or pathological.

Maternal Trade-offs

•Mothers often face difficult evolutionary trade-offs in child-rearing.

•High child mortality has historically influenced maternal decisions.

•Mothers may shift investment based on a child's health or survival chances.

•Maternal negativity can be adaptive, though still psychologically harmful.

the role of resources

•Scarce resources challenge a mother’s ability to care for all children.

•Nutritional resources affect maternal bonding and support.

•Social support systems (e.g., family, community) reduce maltreatment risk.

•Insecure environments increase likelihood of maternal ambivalence.

impact of social support

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•Women with emotional support form stronger bonds with infants.

•Support from family or professionals improves maternal attentiveness.

•Lack of trust in support systems can hinder intervention success.

•Social status may correlate with child health and reduced maltreatment.

Nutritional trade-offs

•Food shortages require difficult allocation decisions among children.

•Mothers may favour healthier children in times of scarcity.

•Evolutionary success may mean investing in those most likely to survive.

•Self-sacrificing behaviour is less advantageous in high-mortality settings.

child characteristics

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•Children’s health, disposition, and sex shape maternal responses.

•Difficult or sickly children may face higher maltreatment risk.

•Maternal feelings fluctuate based on perceived offspring viability.

•Dispositionally ‘difficult’ children evoke greater maternal stress.

sex preferences

•Cultural and evolutionary forces influence sex-based child preferences.

•Parents may favour children who provide more future support.

•Birth order may interact with sex to influence maternal care.

•Sex-based preferences vary significantly across cultures and time.

child socialisation

•Social norms are key to survival in human evolutionary history.

•Children who flout norms may endanger their family’s status.

•Punishment used for socialisation can become maltreatment.

•Norm enforcement may be motivated by group survival, not malice.

socializing for danger

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•Harsh environments lead to harsher socialisation strategies.

•Some cultures use physical or emotional punishment to prepare children.

•Children are conditioned to survive through fear and compliance.

•This preparation can qualify as maltreatment under WHO definitions.

impact of honour cultures

•‘Honour cultures’ encourage aggression as a protective strategy.

•Boys are trained through punishment and shaming to be aggressive.

•Parents see this as necessary for survival, not abuse.

•These practices can lead to long-term psychological harm.

nutritional resources and survival

•Human children require adult provisioning for many years.

•In times of scarcity, mothers may unconsciously favour some children.

•This prioritization aims to maximize evolutionary success.

•Feeding decisions reflect adaptive compromises, not deliberate cruelty.

trade-offs in food allocation

•Mothers may keep more food for themselves in high-mortality contexts.

•Self-sacrifice can reduce survival of both mother and child.

•Long-term evolutionary pressures shape food allocation decisions.

•Modern moral judgements may not align with ancestral survival needs.

lack of social support

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•Humans evolved as 'cooperative breeders' relying on social support.

•Mothers without support are less likely to bond or commit.

•Infanticide is more common in unsupported or socially isolated women.

•Support networks enhance maternal sensitivity and reduce risk.

impact of social status

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•Higher social status is linked to better child outcomes.

•Status may buffer against stressors that lead to maltreatment.

•Women with political influence often have healthier children.

•Low respect or exclusion increases maternal stress and negativity.

disposition and difficulty

•Difficult’ children evoke more stress and frustration.

•This may increase the risk of maltreatment in fragile settings.

•Maternal response is shaped by child behaviour and health.

•Perceptions of viability can influence care dynamics.

maternal perceptions of weakness

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•Children who are sickly may receive less care or be neglected.

•Mothers may redirect effort to healthier offspring to ensure survival.

•This logic, while distressing, has roots in evolutionary utility.

•Perceived weakness activates trade-offs in care allocation.

gender bias and culture

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•In some contexts, sons or daughters are valued differently.

•First-born girls may be favoured for helping raise siblings.

•Sex preferences are context-dependent and culturally shaped.

•Maternal investment may reflect expectations of future returns.

social learning and mothering

•Girls learn parenting through observation, not formal teaching.

•Limited models may lead to repetition of maltreatment cycles.

•This is especially pronounced in WEIRD societies.

•Diverse caregiving environments may reduce intergenerational harm.

transmission of maltreatment

•Severe maternal maltreatment increases risk of later abuse.

•This cycle is not inevitable but influenced by learned behaviours.

•Interventions that teach new parenting models can disrupt the cycle.

•Parental education acts as a corrective social learning process.

toxic shame in mothers

•Mothers who feel ambivalence may feel deeply defective.

•Toxic shame can lead to rage, addiction, or disconnection.

•Understanding evolutionary context can reduce shame.

•Self-compassion may foster change and better parenting outcomes.

societal assumptions and stigma

•Western societies idealize unconditional maternal love.

•This stigmatizes natural ambivalence or hardship.

•Such judgement may prevent mothers from seeking help.

•Evolutionary views support nuance over blame.

child socialisation and risk

•Norm enforcement sometimes overlaps with maltreatment.

•Children are punished to ensure group survival and cohesion.

•Physical and emotional discipline reflect cultural context.

•Socialization practices are not always benign.

the value of evolutionary insight

•Evolutionary thinking reframes maternal behaviour without excusing harm.

•It explains trade-offs that shape care in harsh environments.

•Acknowledging this supports both clinical and policy interventions.

•Compassionate frameworks reduce stigma and guide prevention.