Intimate Partner Violence

In the past few decades, many psychologists have begun to recognize the value of using an evolutionary perspective to guide their research. With a focus on evolved mechanisms and associated information-processing features, evolutionary psychology has risen as a powerful heuristic tool for the study of human psychology and behavior. Evolutionary psychology leads researchers to look at old phenomena in a different light. Such a new perspective potentially offers powerful insights into human psychology and behavior. This chapter uses the tools provided by evolutionary theory to explore why violence and abuse occur between intimate partners. Specifically, it focuses on physical and sexual intimate partner violence.