Biosozialverhalten am Übergang Tier – Mensch

The origin of animal societies is found in two types of intraspecific cooperation: the mating system and the breeding system. In both systems interaction leads to individual recognition of partner(s). The functional context of these two systems is temporally limited. The first step to a new quality of societies was an increase in the duration of social bonding. The main steps of evolution of social behaviour may be reflected by the following classification :

1. Solitary species ; no cooperation (except mating pairs).

2. Simple “societies” with communication and cooperation.

2.1. Subsocial groups : social behaviour only restricted to parental care.

2.2. Semisocial groups : cooperation with mutual benefit of the cooperators.

3. Complex societies : altruistic behaviour may be highly developed; a well-defined “division of labour” among the group members.

3.1. Invertebrate societies with impersonal social organization; the relationships will be rigidly established on the basis of caste.

3.2. Vertebrate societies ; members recognize each another as specific individuals, they often structure their interpersonal relations through dominance hierarchies.

The primate societies have reached a high degree of differentiation. They have unusually varied and diverse ways of expressing themselves socially. They have evolved into many species of unusually complex societies. This is the basis for human social evolution.