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Status and Redistribution of Resources

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Synonyms

Social hierarchy; Social status

Definition

This chapter reviews work on the extent to which individual status influences support for the redistribution of scarce resources.

Introduction

Evolution by natural selection depends on competition over scarce resources. Within social groups, however, overt competition or hostility can be costly and ultimately a detriment to the well-being of group members. Accordingly, many primate species have evolved means of minimizing social conflict by imposing simple systems of dominance that determine access to and control over scarce resources. It is to these basic systems of distribution that many psychologists trace systems of status and distribution in human cultures, even if the rules and systems that shape outcomes are comparatively complex.

The present chapter briefly summarizes research on status, reflecting differences in access to and control over resources, and the redistribution of resources. This review highlights that status...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

    Lucas A. Keefer

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  1. Lucas A. Keefer
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Correspondence to Lucas A. Keefer .

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Editors and Affiliations

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

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Kevin Beaver

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Keefer, L.A. (2017). Status and Redistribution of Resources. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1700-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1700-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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