Structure and Function in Primate Society

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Abstract
The origins of the concept of social dominance are described. The implications and assumptions made by the theory are listed and evaluated and the value of the concept to studies of free-ranging primates is assessed. Possible functions of social dominance hierarchies are considered and evaluated. Studies in the physiological and endocrine responses to crowding and stress are cited and their relevance to the status of social dominance theory indicated. The shortcomings of social dominance theory as both a descriptive and an analytical concept are described and an alternative scheme put forward, the description of social structure in terms of social role differentiation. The effect of social dominance on theories of primate social evolution is assessed, and an alternative explanation of observed differences suggested.