Infant Physical Affection and Adult Physical Violence

Societies that provide infants with a great deal of physical affection ('tender loving care') are later characterized by relatively non-violent adults. In 36 of the 49 cultures studied, a high degree of infant affection was associated with a low degree of adult physical violence -- and vice versa. When the 13 exceptions were investigated, it was found that the violence of all but one (the Jivaro tribe of South America) could be accounted for the presence or absence of premarital sexual behavior.

TABLE 3

Relationship of Infant Physical Affectional Deprivation to Adult Physical Violence

High Infant Physical Affection Low Infant Physical Affection High Infant Physical Affection Low Infant Physical Affection
Low Adult Physical Violence High Adult Physical Violence High Adult Physical Violence Low Adult Physical Violence
Andamanese Alorese Cheyenne Ainu
Arapesh Aranda Chir-Apache Ganda
Balinese Araucanians Crow Kwakiutl
Chagga Ashanti Jivaroa Lepcha
Chenchu Aymara Kurtatchi Pukapuka
Chuckchee Azande Zunic Samoansb
Cuna Comanche Tanala
Hano Fon
Lau Kaska
Lesu Marquesans
Maori Masai
Murngin Navaho
Nuer Ojibwa
Papago Thonga
Siriono
Tallensi
Tikopia
Timbira
Trobriand
Wogeo
Woleaians
Yahgan
 
Premarital sex punished: underlined Premarital sex permitted: italic

a According to Harner (1972) the Jivaro culture is misclassified and belongs in column 2 (personal communication).
b According to Derek Freeman, Professor of Anthropology, Australian National University, the Samoans belong in column 2 (personal communication).
c The Zuni are also reclassified to column 1.

Source: Textor ; infant behavior ratings from Barry, Bacon and Child; and adult violence ratings from Slater.

This table is a revised version updated with information from the article "Can More Touching Lead to Less Violence in Our Society?" by Lionel Gambill, published in The Truth Seeker, March/April 1989. Gambill writes:

Subsequent to original publication of this material in The Futurist in April 1975, cultural anthropologists informed Prescott of errors in some of the original codings in the reference work on which the comparison was based. When these errors were corrected, no exceptions remained. The Pleasure/Violence Reciprocity Theory, applied to the cultures listed in that reference work, has a predictive validity of 100%.