Mate selection and parental investment: a developmental approach

Authors

  • Roberta Tavares de Melo Borrione
  • Eulina da Rocha Lordelo

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v9i1.3284

Keywords:

mate selection, parental investment, Evolutionary Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present two theories about human mate selection, as well as their implications to Developmental Psychology. The field of investigation aims to explain the mechanisms involved in mate selection - sexual attraction, bond development, and the establishment of long-term relationships. The Sexual strategies theory has as its primary scientific assumption the concept of strategy. This concept assumes that human behavior is goal-specific and goal-directed to solve mate problems derived from the evolutionary environment in which human history of adaptation has evolved. Adaptation takes place based upon context, especially upon the nature of mating association strategies - short or long-term relationships. These strategies would have evolved using parental investment as a psychological mechanism of mate selection. Another approach based on a developmental point of view - which overlaps the Sexual strategies theory - emphasizes bond development among sexual partners, derived from the sum of two factors: the first one is a mechanism of selection exaptated from the attachment mechanism, and the second one is based on characteristics of propensity, propinquity, and romantic infatuation. Currently, it is impossible to refute any of these approaches. It is utmost necessary to await conclusive answers, possible only testing rival hypotheses. A conclusive theory should be able to simultaneously explain universality, cultural diversity and specific developmental pathways taking into account an evolutionary approach. In this endeavor, causal, functional, ontogenetic, and phylogenetic dimensions should be enlightened.

Keywords: mate selection; parental investment; Evolutionary Psychology.

Downloads

Published

2005-10-13

How to Cite

Borrione, R. T. de M., & Lordelo, E. da R. (2005). Mate selection and parental investment: a developmental approach. Interação Em Psicologia, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5380/psi.v9i1.3284

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 1 (2005)

Section

Articles

License

The approval of articles implies the immediate acceptance, with no imposition, that the journal Interação em Psicologia will have the exclusivity of the first publication of the article. The authors will, notwithstanding, keep the copyrights for future publications. In case of republication of the articles in other media, it is demanded the mention to the first publication in the journal Interação em Psicologia. The authors also authorize their articles to be available in all the indexes of which the journal is included. 

The Editorial Board is not responsible for the concepts or statements expressed in the published works, which are the sole responsibility of their authors.

The journal Interação em Psicologia offers immediate open access to all its content, following the rationale that offering gratuitous scientific knowledge to the public promotes the democracy of knowledge and published works tend to produce higher impact. The published articles in the journal are available under the Creative Commons License CC-BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). According to this license, the access, distribution, reusing of the articles for non-commercial sources are allowed, provided that the authors and the source is referenced. When submitting articles to the journal Interação em Psicologia, authors agree with making their texts legally available based on this license.