printDevelopment of Evolutionary Neurosociology:
Behavioral Biograms and Biological Predisposition to Social Inequality
Shkurko Yu.S.
Cand. Sci. (Sociol.), Assoc. Prof., Faculty of Humanities and Social Technologies, Ulyanovsk State University, Ulyanovsk, Russia yushkurko@yandex.ru
Shkurko Yu.S. Development of Evolutionary Neurosociology: Behavioral Biograms and Biological Predisposition to Social Inequality . Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2018. No 9. P. 23-29
In recent years, there is growth of interest for neurobiology, neuroscience, behavioral genetics, evolutionary biology, social neuroscience for the traditional problems of sociology. The mechanisms of dominance hierarchy (in sociology it is known as a problem of social inequality) is one of the issues that has caught attention of these disciplines. Although the results are relevant, they are largely ignored by social scientists. Exceptional attempts are the efforts of those sociologists who work in such new areas as neurosociology and evolutionary sociology. In this article, taking into account the results of their research, I apply evolutionary theory together with the findings of neuroscience to the problem of social inequality. I analyzed behavioral biograms (biological predispositions of certain social behavior) – aggressive, mother-infant bonding, hierarchy, male domination, incest avoidance, territoriality – as an evolutionary source of social inequality in modern society.
Ван Вюгт М., Ахуджа А. Избранное. Эволюционная психология лидерства. М.: Карьера Пресс, 2012 [van Vugt M., Ahuja A. (2012) Selected Works. The Psychology Science of Leadership. Moscow: Kar’era Press. (In Russ.)]
Chiao J. Y. and Blizinsky K. D. (2010) Culture–Gene Coevolution of Individualism–Collectivism and the Serotonin Transporter Gene. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Vol. 277: 529–537.
Chiao J. Y. (2010) Neural basis of social status hierarchy across species. Current Opinion in Neurobiology. Vol. 20: 803–809.
De Dreu C. K. W. et al. (2010) The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Regulates Parochial Altruism in Intergroup Conflict Among Humans. Science. Vol. 328: 1408–1411.
Dunbar R. I.M. (1993) Coevolution of neocortex size, group size and language in humans. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Vol. 16: 681–735.
Eisenegger C., Haushofer J., Fehr E. (2011) The role of testosterone in social interaction. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Vol. 15 (6): 263–271.
Ferguson J. N., Young L. J., Insel T. R. (2002) The Neuroendocrine Basis of Social Recognition. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. Vol. 23: 200–224.
Hamilton (1964) The Genetical Evolution of Social Behaviour. I. Journal of Theoretical Biology. Vol. 7: 1–16.
Hodgson G. M. (2004) Social Darwinism in Anglophone Academic Journals: A Contribution to the History of the Term. Vol. 17 (4): 428–463.
Hopcroft R. (2009) Gender Inequality in Interaction – An Evolutionary Account. Social Forces. Vol. 87(4): 1–27.
Hopcroft R. (2015) Sex differences in the relationship between status and number of offspring in the contemporary U. S. Evolution and Human Behavior. Vol. 36: 146–151.
Huber J. (2008) Reproductive Biology, Technology, and Gender Inequality: An Autobiographical Essay. Annual Review of Sociology. Vol. 34: 1–13.
Krendl A., Richeson J. A., Kelley W., Heatherton T. F. (2008) The negative consequences of threat: an fMRI investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying women’s underperformance in math. Psychological Science. Vol. 19: 168–175.
Maryanski А. (2006) Doing Evolutionary Sociology-Strategies and Tactics. Newsletter of the ASA Section-information on Evolution and Sociology. Vol. 3 (2): 6–8.
Maryanski А. (2007) Incest. In: The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology. Ed. by G. Ritzer. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Massey D. S. (2002) A Brief History of Human Society: The Origin and Role of Emotions in Social Life. American Sociological Review. Vol. 67: 1–29.
Mazur A. (2005) Biosociology of Dominance and Deference. Rowman & Litilefield Publishers.
Melloni M., Williams S. and Martin P. (2016) The biosocial: sociological themes and issues. The Sociological Review Monographs. Vol. 64(1): 7–25.
Montoya E. R., Terburg D., Bos P. A., van Honk J. (2012) Testosterone, cortisol, and serotonin as key regulators of social aggression: A review and theoretical perspective. Motivation and Emotion. Vol. 36: 65–73.
Neyer F. J., Lang F. R. (2003) Blood Is Thicker Than Water: Kinship Orientation Across Adulthood. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 84 (2): 310–321.
Outhwaite W. (2016) Challenges in Sociological Theory. Frontiers in Sociology. No. 1: 5. doi: 10.3389/ fsoc.2016.00005
Sanderson S. (2001) The Evolution of Human Sociality: A Darwinian Conflict Perspective. Rowman & Litilefield Publishers.
TenHouten W.D. (2017) Social dominance hierarchy and the pride–shame system. Journal of Political Power. doi: 10.1080/2158379X.2017.1285154
Tiger L. (1994) A second look at the notion of biogrammar. Social Science Information. Vol. 33(4): 579–593.
Tiger L., Fox R. (1998) The Imperial Animal. New Brunswick and London: Transaction Publishers.
Turner J., Machalek R., Maryanski A. (2015) Editors’ Introduction. In: Handbook on Evolution and Society: Toward an Evolutionary Social Science. Ed. by J. H. Turner, R. Machalek, A. Maryanski. Boulder, London: Paradigm Publishers.
Turner J. H. (2014) The Evolution of Human Emotions. In: Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions: Volume II. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Ed. by J. E. Stets, J. H. Turner. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht: 11–31.
Turner J. H., Maryanski A. (2013) The Evolution of the Neurological Basis of Human Sociality. In: Handbook of Neurosociology. Ed. by D. D. Franks, J. H. Turner. Springer Science+Business Media B. V.: 289–309.
Udry R. J. (2001) Feminist Critics Uncover Determinism, Positivism, and Antiquated Theory. American Sociological Review. Vol. 66(4): 611–618.
Van der Kooij A., Sandi C. (2015) The genetics of social hierarchies. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. Vol. 2: 52–57.
Van Vugt M. (2006) Evolutionary Origins of Leadership and Followership. Personality and Social Psychology Review. Vol. 10 (4): 354–371.
Wrangham R. V., Wilson M. L. (2004) Collective Violence. Comparisons between Youths and Chimpanzees. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. Vol. 1036: 233–256.