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Cited by 52Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorHomicide, Infanticide, and Child AbuseCultural Differences and Values

Parasite stress promotes homicide and child maltreatment

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Thornhill, Randy, Fincher, Corey L.·2011·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rstb.2011.0052PMC PMC3189353
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Abstract

Researchers using the parasite-stress theory of human values have discovered many cross-cultural behavioural patterns that inform a range of scholarly disciplines. Here, we apply the theory to major categories of interpersonal violence, and the empirical findings are supportive. We hypothesize that the collectivism evoked by high parasite stress is a cause of adult-on-adult interpersonal violence. Across the US states, parasite stress and collectivism each positively predicts rates of men's and women's slaying of a romantic partner, as well as the rate of male-honour homicide and of the motivationally similar felony-related homicide. Of these four types of homicide, wealth inequality has an independent effect only on rates of male-honour and felony-related homicide. Parasite stress and collectivism also positively predict cross-national homicide rates. Child maltreatment by caretakers is caused, in part, by divestment in offspring of low phenotypic quality, and high parasite stress produces more such offspring than low parasite stress. Rates of each of two categories of the child maltreatment—lethal and non-lethal—across the US states are predicted positively by parasite stress, with wealth inequality and collectivism having limited effects. Parasite stress may be the strongest predictor of interpersonal violence to date.

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  1. [34]Flinn M. V., Coe K. 2007. The linked red queens of human cognition, reciprocity, and culture. In The evolution of mind (eds Gangestad S. W., Simpson J. A.), pp. 339–347 New York, NY: Guilford Press [Google Scholar]
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Authors
Thornhill, R., & Fincher, C. L.
Affiliations
University of New Mexico (US)
Corresponding author
Thornhill, Randy
ORCID
Fincher, Corey L.
Venue
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
2011-12-12
Volume
366
Issue
1583
Pages
3466-3477
ISSN
  • 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
  • 1471-2970
DOI
10.1098/rstb.2011.0052
PMC
PMC3189353
OpenAlex
W2132364782
Cited by
52
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 5
FWCI
0.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Cultural Differences and Values
Keywords
parasite stress, homicide, child abuse, interpersonal violence, collectivism, honor killings, wealth inequality, offspring quality
MeSH terms
Child, Child Abuse, Child, Preschool, Communicable Diseases, Female, Homicide, Humans, Male, Social Behavior, Stress, Psychological, Violence

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