Anne C. Campbell (1951 – 26 February 2017) was a British academic and author specializing in

evolutionary psychology Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach in psychology that examines cognition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective. It seeks to identify human psychological adaptations with regard to the ancestral problems they evolved ...

. Her research was largely concerned with

sex differences Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecious species, which consi ...

aggression Aggression is behavior aimed at opposing or attacking something or someone. Though often done with the intent to cause harm, some might channel it into creative and practical outlets. It may occur either reactively or without provocation. In h ...

between men and women. She was professor of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Durham University Durham University (legally the University of Durham) is a collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university in Durham, England, founded by an Act of Parliament (UK), Act of Parliament in 1832 and incorporated by r ...

Research

In the 1980s Campbell studied female violence through

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

work with female

gang A gang is a social group, group or secret society, society of associates, friends, or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over Wiktionary:territory#Noun, territory in a ...

members in New York, providing an account of how they came to accept casual killings,

firebombing Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs. In popular usage, any act in which an incendiary d ...

s, and the warfare and violence of the streets. She subsequently investigated social representations of aggression: the different explanations that men and women offer for their own aggression. Campbell found that women are more likely than men to exhibit

inhibitory control Inhibitory control, also known as response inhibition, is a cognitive process – and, more specifically, an executive function – that permits an individual to inhibit their impulses and natural, habitual, or dominant behavioral re ...

of aggression; when aggression is acted out, women tend to excuse it as a loss of

self-control Self-control is an aspect of inhibitory control, one of the core executive functions. Executive functions are cognitive processes that are necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve specific goals. Defined more independen ...

, whereas men tend to justify it as a means of imposing control over others. Campbell's 1999 'Staying Alive' paper proposed an evolutionary explanation for sex differences in aggression, arguing that "female competition is more likely to take the form of indirect aggression ..than among males". She went on to explore possible ways in which evolution might have shaped men's and women's psychology differently, in particular with regard to

impulsivity In psychology, impulsivity (or impulsiveness) is a tendency to act on a whim, displaying behavior characterized by little or no forethought, reflection, or consideration of the consequences. Impulsive actions are typically "poorly conceived, pre ...

and

fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

. In

intimate relationship An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...

s, Campbell found that men lower their aggression towards their partner, and women raise their aggression depending on the intimacy with their partner. In total, Campbell authored and co-authored more than 80 scientific papers on a broad range of topics including: the role of

oxytocin Oxytocin is a peptide hormone and neuropeptide normally produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. Present in animals since early stages of evolution, in humans it plays roles in behavior that include Human bonding, ...

in human behaviour, the measurement of life history strategies, aggression in intimate partnerships, the '

Dark Triad The dark triad is a psychological theory of personality, first published by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002, that describes three notably offensive, but non-pathological personality types: Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissi ...

' of personality traits, competition between women, perceptions of

one-night stand A one-night stand is a single sexual encounter in which there is no expectation that there shall be any further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single night performanc ...

s areas of dispute and agreement between

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

and evolutionary psychology, and even

back pain Back pain (Latin: ''dorsalgia'') is pain felt in the back. It may be classified as neck pain (cervical), middle back pain (thoracic), lower back pain (lumbar) or coccydynia (tailbone or sacral pain) based on the segment affected. The lumbar area ...

Appearances

In 2010 Campbell made a memorable appearance in the Norwegian documentary series

Hjernevask ''Hjernevask'' ("Brainwash") is a Norway, Norwegian Documentary film, documentary miniseries about science that aired on NRK1 in 2010. The series, consisting of seven episodes, was created for NRK and presented by the comedian and sociologist Hara ...

('Brainwash'), in which she argued forcefully against the gender theories of Norwegian philologists (philosopher Cathrine Egeland and literary theorist

Jørgen Lorentzen Jørgen Lorentzen (born 4 November 1956) is a Norwegian literary scholar and independent film producer. His research has focused on the representation of men and masculinities in literature, film and popular culture. He became known to a broad aud ...

). She also argued, however, that the effects of humans' evolved psychology are dependent on social context.

Published works

Journal articles

* Full list available o
ResearchGate

Books: authored/co-authored

* * *''A Mind of Her Own: The Evolutionary Psychology of Women'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002; 2nd Edition, 2013) *''Men, Women and Aggression'' (New York/London: Basic Books/Harpercollins, 1993) *''The Girls in the Gang'' (New York & Oxford: Blackwell, 1986)

Books: edited

*''The Social Child'' (Hove: Psychology Press, 1998)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Anne Academics of Durham University British psychologists Evolutionary psychologists