Socialization and Nurture’s Affect on Human Mate Selection
Introduction
Sex, Love and marriage are everywhere in peoples everyday lives. On billboards, to sell products and throughout the media. But what influence what and whom one is attracted to in a mate or partner? There are many theories as to what the largest influence on mate selection is, however the two most prominent theories are Nature, which consists of biology and genetics predisposing one to look for certain traits in a partner, and Nurture, which consist of socialization and ones upbringing as a child and teenager. By researching the Mating preferences of other species, such as primates, which are similar to humans genetically, the biology of mate selection can be observed. By researching the history and diversity of human mate selection and marriage around the world, it can be observed that there is no global norm for the ideal mate. Ideal traits in a partner vary greatly throughout history and throughout different countries, evidence that socialization and environment have a strong influence on the cultural and personal mate ideals. By researching socialization and the development of a love map, a virtual checklist of traits one looks for in a partner. A love map is developed in early childhood 0-5 years by observing the parent of the opposite sex, or an opposite sex parental figure. By looking at the effects on Nature and Nurture, on mate selection as well as the history and diversity in mate selection around the world, it is evident that, nurture and socialization are the prominent factors in influencing mate selection among humans.
The History of Mate Selection
Historically there have been three general approaches to mate selection, or marriage, Marria...
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...dy done by Hurtz, R., & Inzlicht, M. (n.d.) (2002). Showed, Women ranked body odor as more important for attraction than looks or any social factor except pleasantness. Rather than an artificial smell such as a cologne, liking someone's natural body odor was the most influential variable for sexual interest for both men and women. Men rated a woman's good looks as most desirable and as more important than any other factor except pleasantness. Men prefer aesthetically pleasing and average proportioned women, women prefer athletic and tall to aesthetics. Darwin’s theory of sexual selection and evolution explains how these traits are useful for survival and continuation of the human race and therefore desired. We may have moved past this basic evolutionary outline that we see in nature however and Darwin’s theory may no longer apply to humans in developed societies.
"Romantic love has been the norm since eighteenth-century Europe, when we began connecting marriage with romance." If people did not love each other, then there would be no relationship. Sure, they could try to make it happen, but what would be the point of having the relationship in the first place? If they are trying to escape from something and are not actually motivated by love, they are just creating a new entity to eventually want to escape from. Only love will cause people to remain and stay together in a relationship. According to a study done at Grand Valley State University, titled "The Social Psychology of Love and Attraction", it's true that "shared traits including similarity, religion, ethnic group and race were important features of the other person for over half the participants [in the study]. Each of these traits is linked to a commonality in background. People are subconsciously drawn to others who have the same familial background." This study shows that people do consider factors such as race and cultural identity when seeking a potential partner for a relationship. However, the study also shows that the most important factor in attracting a potential mate is personality. The second most is physical attractiveness. These traits are more important in deciding a potential mate than anything
Every culture has its own unique values, beliefs and norms. Culture defines the identity and interests of a society. Understanding other’s culture is crucial in preparing ourselves for the global experience in the twenty-first century. As the world is becoming more connected to each other, interaction between cultures is unavoidable. I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most diverse cities in the world where I get chance to interact with people of different cultures. In this paper, I will discuss my findings about Family Structure in a Mexican culture, and Dating and Marriage in an African / Gabonese culture. Having a chance to understand various cultures, I realized that beliefs and practices tend to vary from culture to culture.
Wilson (1986) argues that sexual attraction can be explained through an understanding of ‘survival efficiency’. By way of ‘bargaining’ between men and women, our relationships have become defined and characterised. It is in the ‘Interest’ of males to impregnate as many women as possible because he is capable of producing many sperm, whereas the women’s best chance of her genes surviving is to ensure the healthy survival of the relatively few offspring she is capable of mothering... ... middle of paper ... ... In Gender Learning, Pacific Grove, USA: Brooks Cole Ridley, M. (1993)
It is tempting to believe that when couples say that they are “in love,” they view their love in the same way –that they have successfully “defined their relationship.” Love after all, is the only legitimate reason for marriage in western society and one should at least be on the same page before entering into a perpetual union (Henslin 468). Sociologists like to say that romantic love is composed of two components: sexual attraction (a biological response) and idealization of the other (a societal created response that promotes a bond between two individuals) (Henslin 468). However this is a very simple definition of love because it turns out that romantic love is in the eye of the beholder. Researchers of heterosexual love have ...
It makes complete sense that we would be biologically driven to prove our sexiness. At the most basic level, this could explain the plenitude and popularity of fashion magazines for young women and the emphasis on being good at sports in school for both genders. Beyond this, it could also explain why men and women are driven to succeed at their various careers, or to be perceived to be successful, smart, witty, fun-loving, good-looking, responsible, or any of a number of things that human aspire to be which are also s...
5) These ideas of sexual selection and cryptic female choice can be applied to humans. Women choose mates based on career perspectives, attractiveness, and resources. All these allow her to ensure her children will be healthy and successful.
Sprecher, Susan, Quintin Sullivan, and Elaine Hatfield. 1994. “Mate Selection Preferences: Gender Differences Examined in a National Sample.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 66, 6: 1074-1080.
In order to understand the present lifestyles relating to different approaches and tactics applied by humans in mate choice preferences, there is the need to refer to Darwin (1859, 1871) evolutionary perspectives. Darwin (1871) sexual selection is the driving force for males and females reproductive quest for their genes survival. These driving forces have been classified into two categories as intra-sexual and intersexual mate selection.Intersexual selection is male sexual selection process whereby males compete with other males and the females choose the strongest as their ideal partner. Intra-sexual selection occurs when the male species fight among themselves and the strongest gain access to females for
The use of sex in advertising may create unrealistic ideals for men regarding women, however, it is a powerful tool for selling products. Through the years advertisers have shown through their advertisements that sex does sell products. Especially when selling to the male viewers. Sex is the second strongest of the psychological appeals, right behind self-preservation, and its strength is biological and instinctive, the genetic imperative of reproduction (Taflinger). Sexual desire is an instinctive reaction in animals, and a person?s perception of a suitable mate is the basis (Taflinger). That perception is usually a set of criteria that the opposite sex must meet, and those that meet and exceed those criteria will provide the chance for the highest quality offspring with the best chance of survival (Taflinger).
Social status has played a major role in many different aspects of life practically since the beginning of time. Social status acts as a label for one’s predicament of living. Such a label directly affects day-to-day tasks, opportunities, and interactions. Generally, how we perceive others is a determining factor for the value we place upon them to our lives. For this particular study, I will be focusing on how social status affects dating/relationships. Dating is the basis of any intimate relationship that can potentially lead to a long-term arrangement such as marriage and pro-creation.
What controls a human's sexual orientation? The long-standing debate of nature versus nurture can be extended to explaining human sexual orientation. Is it biological or environmental? The biological explanation has been gaining popularity amongst the scientific community although it is only based on speculations. It is argued that sexual orientation is linked to factors that occur during sexual differentiation. The prenatal exposure to androgens and their affect on the development of the human brain play a pivotal role in sexual orientation (2). Heredity is also part of the debate. Does biology merely provide the slate of neural circuitry upon which sexual orientation is inscribed? Do biological factors directly wire the brain so that it will support a particular orientation? Or do biological factors influence sexual orientation only indirectly?
Lenton, A. P., & Francesconi, M. (2010). How humans cognitively manage an abundance of mate options. Psychological Science, 21(4), 528-533.
It may seem obvious to some why people mate, however there are many facets to human mating. Psychology has shown that reasons for mating have gone beyond the scope of love and physical attractiveness. People may search for mates who resemble archetypical images of the opposite-sex parent, mates with characteristics that are either complementary or similar to one's own qualities, or mates with whom to make an exchange of valuable resources (Buss 238). Although these theories play a key role in understanding patterns in human mating preferences, evolutionary psychology and sexual selection theory provide more concrete frameworks for explaining human mating.
Marriage is a lifetime engagement and traditions in Eastern cultures. Marriages not only do couples get together and take vows to live together, but their families build a lifelong bond. On the other hand, in Western society arranged marriages are not common in the daily life; that is, the point of love is meant to be found, not arranged. In the West, love is to find that someone whereby the couples will spend the rest of their life together. According to Hai, Thu a Vietnamese author, arranged marriages are the method whereby the parents find someone for that person; they are deciding if he or she is fit for the position. Some people could not imagine that Americans who would appreciate the idea of being set together with someone they do not know. To solve this idea and lowering the divorce rate, scientists have expanded the knowledge of personality and relationships. The author brings that various tools have been built to help men and women identify a perfect marriage spouse.
Bd 3. Kurzban, R., & Weeden, J. (2004, August 24). HurryDate: Mate preferences in action. Retrieved June 9, 2015, from http://www.sas.upenn.edu/psych/PLEEP/pdfs/2005 Kurzban & Weeden EHB.pdf 4.