Warriors and Worriers
The Survival of the Sexes
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- 43,99 €
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- 43,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
The question of exactly what sex differences exist and whether they have a biological foundation has been one of our culture's favorite enduring discussions. It should. After a baby is born, a parent's first concern is for its physical health. The next concern is its sex. Only in the most modern societies does sex not virtually guarantee the type of future life a new human being will have. Even in modern societies, one's sex usually plays a large role in the path a life follows.
Scientists have published thousands of papers on the subject, with the general conclusion being that men and women are mostly the same, whatever differences exist have been socialized, and what differences exist have to do with women bearing children and men being physically stronger. In Warriors and Worriers, psychologist Joyce Benenson presents a new theory of sex differences, based on thirty years of research with young children and primates around the world. Her innovative theory focuses on how men and women stay alive. Benenson draws on a fascinating array of studies and stories that explore the ways boys and men deter their enemies, while girls and women find assistants to aid them in coping with vulnerable children and elders. This produces two social worlds for each sex which sets humans apart from most other primate species. Human males form cooperative groups that compete against out-groups, while human females exclude other females in their quest to find mates, female family members to invest in their children, and keep their own hearts ticking. In the process, Benenson turns upside down the familiar wisdom that women are more sociable than men and that men are more competitive than women.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this specialized book, developmental psychologist Benenson jumps into the longstanding debate concerning nature vs. nurture in the sexes to offer a theory of her own. Drawing on personal research and observations, Benenson argues that men inherently possess the traits of "warriors" those who are genetically prepared for warfare as a means of survival while women are natural "worriers," and have been genetically programmed during evolution to place their own (as well as their family's) wellbeing above all else in order to survive. While Benenson's basic thesis isn't particularly progressive, she does manage to add weight to her theory by raising a number of interesting points regarding male and female behavior. Unfortunately, societal influence is not addressed here as much as one would expect and when it is, the authors do so on unsatisfying terms. While well-researched, Benenson's book doesn't provide citations to support her generalizations, rendering aspects of her arguments unconvincing. Best suited for other scientists within the field, Benenson's study will not likely offer much to laymen and women who will be hard-pressed to determine whether or not her arguments are of substance.