D.Phil. (Educational Psychology) / There is substantial evidence that potential marital partners have difficulty with their decision-making for a marital partner. As a result these potential marital partners often base their decisions of a marital partner on limited awareness. Little or no research has been done on the decision-making process of a marital partner, and that is why the question can be asked: "How did you make the choice for a marital partner?" The purpose of this study is to develop a model as framework of reference for the facilitation of awareness in the decision-making process for a marital partner as integral part of mental health. A theory generative, qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to conduct this study. The fieldwork was done by having semistructured phenomenological interviews with marital partners. The results obtained were analysed and categorised. The results obtained from the analysed data reflect the fact that potential marital partners make the choice of a marital partner based on limited awareness. The main concept of facilitation of awareness in the decision-making of a marital partner was identified and defined as creating a safe space wherein people can be assisted in becoming conscious about their inner and outer world. A model was developed as framework of reference to facilitate awareness in the decision-making process of a marital partner as integral part of mental health.

遲敏瑜. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-89) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Chi Minyu.

Evidence in humans suggests that men are especially competitive with other men over resources and, if successful, are valued as attractive mating prospects by women. Previous studies also show that men experience an increase in testosterone following a win and a decrease in testosterone following a loss. If an increase in testosterone following a victory is an evolved physiological response aimed at readying a man for an increase in mating opportunities, then experimentally manipulating competitive outcomes should differentially affect men’s sex-drive. One-hundred thirteen men were randomly assigned to experience a win, a loss, or no competitive feedback. Participants’ sex-drive was gauged by their responses to photographs of women of differential attractiveness. Results showed that only single men exhibited a higher sex-drive in the winning condition, followed by the control and losing conditions, respectively. Limitations and practical applications to decreasing instances of rape and sexual coercion are discussed. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

本研究試圖通過在進化心理學理論的框架內解釋和預測男性的攻擊和創造力。該框架基於性選擇理論，該理論認為人類的許多特質，包括攻擊和創造力可能與性選擇的進化過程有關。人的很多行為因受到性間和性內選擇壓力的影響，而會對具體的擇偶情境作出特定的反應。達爾文的性選擇理論提出，性間選擇壓力與裝飾品式的行為有關，而性內選擇壓力與武器式的行為有關。本論文通過三個實證研究，同時探討這兩種選擇壓力引發的擇偶情境與男性行為之間的關係。我假設性間選擇與創造力相關，而性內競爭與攻擊性相關。 / 在研究1和2中，通過實驗區分兩種擇偶情境來啟動性間和性內選擇相應的動機。具體來說，我要求大學生被試實際參與一個與異性約會的模擬遊戲（研究1）或者想像一個約會情景（研究2），並告知他們的行為表現會讓這一異性評價或者讓其他同性追求者評價。接著他們分別完成測量創造力（即，“納入類別任務“和“不同尋常用法任務“）和攻擊行為（“競爭性反應時任務“）的任務，被試在兩個任務的表現分別代表他們的裝飾品式行為和武器式行為。研究1和2的結果都一致地顯示，與男性大學生在性內選擇條件下相比，男性大學生在性間選擇條件下表現出更高的創造力但是更低的攻擊性。而對於女性大學生來說，他們在性間和性內兩個條件下的創造力和攻擊性表現沒有差異。研究3進一步探討對於裝飾品式行為和武器式行為特點不同的男性，他們是否會參與不同的擇偶策略（異性吸引或同性競爭）來獲得異性配偶。也就是說，有創造力的男性更傾向於採取異性吸引的策略，而攻擊性的男性則更傾向於採取同性競爭的策略。該研究使用問卷調查，118名男性大學生被試完成創造力和攻擊性相關的人格量表以及自編擇偶策略問卷。多元回歸分析結果顯示，創造力與異性吸引策略相關，而攻擊性與同性競爭策略相關。 / 本論文的三個研究結果支持了基於達爾文的性選擇理論的假設，男性使用創造力作為吸引女性的裝飾品，因此性間選擇與創造力相關；而男性也會使用攻擊來作為武器去跟同性競爭，因此性內選擇與攻擊相關。本研究結果具有如下的研究和實際意義。首先，現有的文獻只是在比較不同物種所具有的專門化擇偶策略時，才會功能性地區分性間與性內選擇壓力。本研究顯示這兩類選擇壓力對人類男性同樣適用。不同的選擇壓力還會造成物種內的個體差異性。如本研究的結果所示，男性在應對這兩種類型選擇壓力時會選擇性地做出反應，表現出獨特的行為來。其次，裝飾品式和武器式的擇偶策略不僅能夠依據不同的情境而被啟動，而且還會被看做是不同的人格特質，允許個體優化他們的性間選擇或性內競爭。第三，基於對人類這兩類行為的終極功能的進化理解，本研究結果有助於發展教育情境內（干預）專案或者課程，以提高學生的創造力及降低攻擊性。 / The present study examines male aggression and creativity as functions of inter-and intra-sex context within the framework of sexual selection. According to sexual selection theory, both intra-sexual competition, mainly among the unlimited sex, or males, and mate choice, mostly by the limiting sex, or females, lead to wide ranging sex dimorphic attributes, which are referred to as weapons (e.g., aggression) and ornaments (e.g., creativity). Within this evolutionary framework, I tested the hypothesis that inter-sexual courtship was associated with creativity as an ornament-like behavior, whereas intra-sexual competition was associated with aggression as a weapon-like behavior. / In the first two studies, I experimentally manipulated two mating situations to prime the motivation either for inter- or intra-sex selection in the laboratory. Specifically, these two motivations were manipulated by having university undergraduate students participate in a simulated dating game (Study 1) or imagine a romantic mating situation (Study 2) with their performance being evaluated either by a female date or male suitors. A set of creativity tasks (i.e., Category Inclusion Task and Unusual Uses Task) and an aggression task (Competitive Reaction Time Task) were used to measure ornament- and weapon-like behavior, respectively. The results in both Study 1 and 2 provided the consistent evidence, showing that men under the intra-sexual selection condition showed a higher level of aggression and lower level of creativity than men under the inter-sexual selection condition. For women, there was no difference between inter-sexual and intra-sexual selection conditions. In Study 3, I further examined whether individual differences in ornament- and weapon-like traits might influence men’s mating behaviors. I hypothesized that creative men tended to engage in inter-sexual courtship, whereas aggressive men tended to engage in intra-sexual competition. Survey data based on 118 male undergraduate students from a Chinese university showed that creativity, but not aggression, predicted inter-sexual courtship whereas aggression, but not creativity, predicted intra-sexual competition. / Together, these studies support the evolutionary theory that inter-sex courtship was related to creativity which men employed as an ornament to attract females, whereas intra-sex competition was related to aggression which men used as weapons. These findings have several implications. First, I showed the same functional distinction between intra- and inter-sex selection pressures on human males. The existing literature draws such functional distinction only when comparing different species with specialized mating strategies. Different selection pressures also act on individuals within the same species to create individual differences. As shown in the present study, men might selectively respond to these two kinds of sexual selection pressures with distinct behaviors. Second, both ornament- and weapon-like mating strategies are not only situationally activated but can also be regarded as personality traits that allow individuals to optimize either intra-sexual competition or inter-sexual courtship. Third, the results may help to develop educational programs aimed at increasing creativity and reducing aggression that are based on the evolutionary understanding of the ultimate functions of these two human behaviors. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Chen, Binbin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-83). / Abstract also in Chinese; appendixes include Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / 摘 要 --- p.v / Acknowledgements --- p.vii / Chapter CHAPTER 1： --- INTRODUCATION --- p.1 / The Evolutionary Framework of Sexual Selection --- p.2 / Sexual Selection --- p.2 / Weapon and Ornament --- p.6 / Evidence on Inter-sexual Selection on Ornaments --- p.7 / Evidence on Intra-sexual Selection on Weapons --- p.8 / Men’s Mating Psychology --- p.9 / Sexual Over-perception Bias --- p.9 / Unrestricted Sexual Behavior --- p.10 / Sexual Jealous --- p.11 / Ornament- and Weapon-like Behaviors --- p.12 / Sexual Selection on Creativity and Aggression --- p.16 / Creativity as an Ornament under Inter-sexual Selection --- p.17 / Aggression as a Weapon under Intra-sexual Selection --- p.19 / The Current Research --- p.21 / Chapter CHAPTER 2: --- EMPERICAL EVIDENCE --- p.23 / Study 1 --- p.23 / Method --- p.23 / Results and Discussion --- p.27 / Study 2 --- p.30 / Method --- p.30 / Results and Discussion --- p.32 / Study 3 --- p.35 / Method --- p.37 / Results and Discussion --- p.39 / Chapter CHAPTER 3: --- GENERAL DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION --- p.41 / Inter- and Intra-sexual Selection on Creativity and Aggression --- p.41 / Educational Implications --- p.47 / Limitations and Future Directions --- p.50 / Conclusion --- p.55 / APPENDIX --- p.56 / REFERENCES --- p.60