Synonyms
Definition
Sexual access manipulations in the context of suicide terrorism occur when terror organizations promise metaphysical sexual rewards as a deceptive form of reciprocal altruism or when the sociocultural environment triggers intrasexual competitive behaviors.
Introduction
Some theorists contend that sexual access manipulations provide an evolutionary explanation for suicide terrorism (Kanazawa 2007). Though sexual access manipulations are evidenced in the rhetoric of some political organizations that recruit potential combatants for suicide terror missions (e.g., Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah), the empirical evidence that sexual access manipulations are the sole motivation to undertake these missions is specious.
Sexual Reward in the Afterlife
When evolutionary theorists discuss sexual access manipulations in relation to suicide terrorism, they are typically referencing promises of sexual rewards in the afterlife (i.e., “72 virgins”). This...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Benmelech, E., Berrebi, C., & Klor, E. F. (2012). Economic conditions and the quality of suicide terrorism. The Journal of Politics, 74(1), 113–128.
Berrebi, C. (2003). Evidence about the link between education, poverty and terrorism among Palestinians (pp. 5–7). Princeton: Princeton University, Department of Economics Industrial Relations Section.
Hafez, M. M. (2006). Rationality, culture, and structure in the making of suicide bombers: A preliminary theoretical synthesis and illustrative case study. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 29(2), 165–185.
Kanazawa, S. (2007). The evolutionary psychological imagination: Why you can’t get a date on a Saturday night and why most suicide bombers are Muslim. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology, 1(1), 7.
Kruglanski, A. W., Chen, X., Dechesne, M., Fishman, S., & Orehek, E. (2009). Fully committed: Suicide bombers’ motivation and the quest for personal significance. Political Psychology, 30(3), 331–357.
Lawson, D. W., Jordan, F. M., & Magid, K. (2008). On sex and suicide bombing: An evaluation of Kanazawa’s ‘evolutionary psychological imagination’. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 6(1), 73–84.
Qirko, H. N. (2009). Altruism in suicide terror organizations. Zygon, 44(2), 289–322.
Smith, E. A. (2004). Why do good hunters have higher reproductive success? Human Nature, 15(4), 343–364.
Trivers, R. L. (1971). The evolution of reciprocal altruism. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 46(1), 35–57.
Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1985). Competitiveness, risk taking, and violence: The young male syndrome. Ethology and Sociobiology, 6(1), 59–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Syme, K. (2018). Sexual Access Manipulations. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_589-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_589-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences