Why are cultures warlike or peaceful? Test of regality theory on 186 non-industrial societies

Abstract

Regality theory is a theory saying that people show a preference for strong leadership in times of war or collective danger, but a preference for an egalitarian political system in times of peace andRegality theory is a theory saying that people show a preference for strong leadership in times of war or collective danger, but a preference for an egalitarian political system in times of peace and safety. These psychological preferences in individuals are reflected in the political structure and culture of the society. A society in danger will develop strong nationalism, discipline, strict religiosity, strict sexual morals and perfectionist art. A society in peace will develop in the direction of egalitarianism and tolerance. The article is both theoretical and experimental. Regality theory is explained and the theoretical basis of the theory is extended with contributions from evolutionary game theory, biological life history theory and ecological theory. The predictions of social-level effects of collective danger are tested by various statistical methods exploring the relationship between intergroup conflict and a number of indicators of social structure and culture in 186 non-industrial societies of the past based on data from Murdock and White's standard cross-cultural sample as well as a subsample based on ethnographic records. It is confirmed that a high level of intergroup conflict is connected with a hierarchical political system, a strict and punitive justice system, a strict religiosity, a high feeling of group identity, strict sexual morals, a higher workload on children, and embellished and perfectionist artistic expressions. Four other predicted effects do not show statistical significance. Intragroup conflict influences sexual morals but not the other cultural variables. It is also found that the level of conflict can be predicted from environmental and technological factors. Regality theory is compared with authoritarianism theory and various cultural theories. While some of these theories appear to describe related or identical phenomena, it is found that regality theory is the theory that best predicts the statistical results. Regality theory has important applications in both the natural and the social sciences, including the study of many psychological, political and cultural phenomena.