Essay on Sexual Strategies Theory: Choosing a Mate

The reward/ need satisfaction theory (RNS) was devised by Byron & Clore (1970) to explain the formation of romantic relationships, based on the principles of behavioral psychology. According to the theory, people form relationships with those who are most rewarding/ satisfying to be with which happens through conditioning. The elements of Skinner's operant conditioning proposes that we repeat behaviors with positive outcomes (rewards) and avoid those with negative outcomes (punishments). Relationships positively reinforce by our partner satisfying our needs/rewarding us (through love or attention), but negative reinforcement also plays a part in the likelihood of formation as a relationship avoid us feeling lonely which both result in us

In people’s perspective, attractiveness possess a wide variety of positive personal qualities compared to unattractive people. Result from the study on physical attractiveness stereotypes show the attractive people had the most positive ratings. For example, they are judged as less disturbed, rated as happier and more successful, and more likely to be hired after a job interview. Thus, the concept of attractiveness having a correlation between an individual’s physical appearance and his/her achievements, abilities, psychological well-being and/or other status characteristics to create a perception is

Much of the research documenting sex differences in mate choice focus on preferences rather than on real life choices. So a male may have a preference but may have to settle for much less.

In his article, The Strategies of Finding a Mate, David M. Buss discusses the act of finding a mate and the characteristics that people are drawn to in a mate. He begins the article with a brief look at the history of mating and the theories that have previously been proposed. In particular he addressed Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual evolution and belief in preferential mate choice. Buss proposes that there are three components to human mating. He states that “human mating is inherently strategic… mating strategies are context-dependent… [and that] men and women have faced different mating problems over the course of human evolution and, as a consequence, have evolved different strategies” (Buss, 1994, p. 241). He uses this theory to propose nine different hypotheses to prove that despite humans being varied and different from each other, all humans look for similar characteristics when trying to find a mate (Buss, 1994).

When discussing female long-term mating strategies, it has been identified that there are certain preferences in which a female desire from a mate (Buss, 2008). Preferences include, a preference for economic resources, a preference for industriousness and ambition, a preference for a good physical appearance and health, and also a preference for dependability and stability. Females prefer someone they can invest in and someone that is willing to invest in them also. And they also desire a mate that can physically protect them and their children and that is both healthy and displays compatibility. There are preconditions as too why these preferences have evolved, such as the idea that resources have been made more defensible and accruable and are more controlled by men, and the idea that men would have to be different between each other in their willingness to somewhat invest their resources in both women and their children. Belsky et al (1991) discovered that some men would rather invest in many women rather than one women and their children as this would mean them

It is thought that men will look for women who are young whereas women are usually more interested in the resources of a mate. This can be explained from an evolutionary perspective as mating with a physically attractive woman will give better genes to pass onto their offspring, and women seek men with resources such as wealth as it will increase their security and therefore their chances of survival.

Riann Anderson and Madison Lash based their presentation of an article titled, Female Guppies with Bigger Brains Pick more Attractive Guys. The article hypothesized that the females with the bigger brains would choose males with the larger fins, more color, and one with the elaborate dances. “In order for you( in reference to the female guppies) you have to have a level of large brain power”, said Lash. The idea of females choosing the more attractive male correlates to the scientific concept of sexual selection, the idea that mates choose particular traits because those will help them in the environment. A great deal of the females with bigger brains wanted the more attractive mates, because essentially the more aesthetically pleasing males

Thus, her breeding span is limited (79). In contrast, for males, it is minimal. He simply must produce sperm cells and go through with an act of copulation, in effect, his reproductive capability is limited by the number of females he mates with (Contrary to popular belief, humans are not a monogamous species but a largely monogamous and partly polgynous species) (Gray 79& 83). In addition, males must play the aggressor role in relationships and are more attracted to physical stimuli (Kanin pg. 71). These all require that males recognize love much more quicker then females (Kanin pg. 71).

People often think about marriage as a decision solely between two people. Someone that possesses strong sociological perspective however would argue that the decision of marriage is largely influenced by factors from the world around them. More specifically, sociological perspective is the point of view that examines how institutions such as the government or mass media, cultural norms and beliefs, and social hierarchies such as race or ethnicity influence the lives of individuals (Mills 2013:3-4). It can also be explained as the opposite of an individualistic perspective, which is the focus on personal choice and immediate relationships. The purpose of my research is to determine to what degree people use sociological perspective when asked about marriage and mate selection. The results will help conclude who possesses sociological perspective and who does not.

The majority of the time the person who is left longing for more than just a casual hookup is the female. Women, by nature, are more likely to become more emotionally attached, especially when it comes to sexual activities. However, most of the time, girls will be willing to play along with the game of hooking up. Perhaps, in hopes, that it will someday lead to something more. But, if and when it doesn’t, they can be left emotionally distraught. Girls will become attached to the person they are with and grow to have a sincere care for them. However, when it comes to picking a mate, boys are not as particular about the girl. A study, Age and gender differences in mate selection criteria for various involvement levels found that “men should be equally as selective as women with respect to long-term mates, but less selective than woman with respect to short-term mates criteria (Kenrick).” Boys are less likely to think about all aspects of girl when planning on hooking up with her, unlike girls. They are not as particular because they are just looking for

When I first read the question “Which social forces influence my choice in a mate, “the first thing that came to mind was not sex, age, race, or social class. At first I didn’t think these were factors in choosing a mate, but after reading about it more, this is actually the main factors people look at when choosing a mate. As I began to think which factors matter to me, I quickly realized that sex, age, race, and social class all matter to me. Also there is another very important factor that matters when choosing a mate and that is religion. My family raised me in a Southern Baptist Church all my life, so religion would be another factor that influenced my choice in a mate.

Another evolutionary explanation of gender development is mate choice, which suggests that gender role behaviours are related to reproductive strategies. It is thought that men will look for women who are young whereas women are usually more interested in the resources of a mate. This can be explained from an evolutionary perspective as mating with a physically attractive woman

The book I chose is titled The Evolution Of Desire by David M. Buss In this book the author explores the concepts of human mating in general, and breaks down what separates the men from women in terms of mating desires. He strives to understand what each gender uses to find, acquire and ultimately keep a mate. The author theorizes that the origin of today 's human mating behavior is directly linked to our evolutionary past. Some of thee main points were that while women prefer a older, healthy and intelligent man who is ambitious, with high social status and strongly built. Most men on average simply prefer young, physically attractive woman.

A number of factors play into the decision of one individual to mate with another, and in many species the females are the ones making these mating decisions. In terms of successfully reproducing, the number of offspring a male produces is limited by the number of females he gets to mate with, whereas females are limited by the amount of resources available to her. Thus, if males want to maximize the number of offspring they can produce they will choose to mate with those females who have access to the most resources and therefore are the most fertile. So, in a species dominated by male choice, research has suggested that males will tend to choose those females whose physical characteristics indicate high fertility. Those females who are