THE DISSOLUTION OF THE PASHA GROUP - CONSEQUENCES OF SECRECY AND DECEPTION IN HUMAN SOCIAL EVOLUTION

Several effects and consequences on group life, composition, and size are discussed based on the hypothesis that the introduction of clandes tine copulation in hominids initiated an evolutionary transition of so cial systems. (1) The shift from a unimale to a multimale social struc ture significantly affected the position of the pasha. His changing ro le can be understood in the light of deception and self-deception whic h are significant components of the Machiavellian intelligence hypothe sis. (2) Furthermore, the transition to multimale social units leads t o growing numbers of group members, and the emergence of intergroup al liances that characterize human social organization can be explained t hrough permanent fissions of these larger groups. The new groups, howe ver, maintain close bonds and thus provide a basis for the elaborate n etwork of social and kin relations found in modern human societies. (3 ) Considering data on sexual dimorphism and testis weight, the flexibl e mating pattern of modern humans can be interpreted as a mixed patter n, resulting from reduced direct competition between males, from a sli ghtly increased gametic competition, and from the gradual perfection o f concealing sexual activities from conspecifics. Since the model disc ussed here is partly based on the decrease of sexual dimorphism it is assumed that the suggested changes occurred at the transition between Homo habilis and Homo erectus.