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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–9Cite as

History of Dominance Theory

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Synonyms

Dominance hierarchy; Pecking order; Rank order; Social hierarchy

Definition

Dominance theory in ethology is concerned with how dominance hierarchies develop and function within human and animal societies in relation to the operation and maintenance of social status, behavioral strategies for survival and reproduction, and gaining preferential access to resources in competitive social situations.

Introduction

This entry will start with a history of dominance theory in ethology, before documenting the history of the understandings of socially stratified relations as they have been developed in some other subjects such as sociology and philosophy. It will then consider component concepts of Denise Cummins’ more recent account of dominance hierarchies in more detail, as it was developed as part of the wider evolutionary psychology paradigm.

In terms of a definition, a dominance hierarchy, otherwise known more colloquially as a pecking order or a rank order, is simply a...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. London, UK

    Vincent Barnett

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  1. Vincent Barnett
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Correspondence to Vincent Barnett .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

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Barnett, V. (2019). History of Dominance Theory. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3852-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_3852-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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