KIN SELECTION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1809 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences |
A mechanism leading to the constitution of social groups based on genetic relationships
This process is observed mainly, but not exclusively in insect societies.
W.D. HAMILTON showed that “… the total fitness of individuals was actually the sum of two different sources: a direct component stemming from an individual's reproductive effort and an indirect component stemming from the reproductive effort of relatives. The magnitude of the indirect component depends on the degree of genetic relationship to those relatives, and there are thus conditions under which it may pay to forgo reproducing yourself and instead assist in the rearing and defense of relatives”. (J.T. COSTA, 1997, p.151)
COSTA observes: “…social behavior may have evolved independently several times, with varying patterns of gain and loss of particular social characteristics” (Ibid).
Socialization through kin selection implies other significant aspects as: recruitment communication (in insect societies, mainly through pheromones), aggregation , patch restriction and boundaries marking.
Similar processes are very probably at work in human societies. Archaic ones were generally based on specific forms of kinship. In modern ones one may wonder if ideologies or common interest do not substitute kin selection and be a new type of aggregation factor.
The importance of kin selection and the way it leads to wider and more complex social behavior have been explored by D.C. QUELLER (1985, p. 366-67)
See also
Meme, Memetics