Parent-Offspring Conflict

TLDR

Parent‑offspring conflict is a predictable feature of sexual reproduction, with parents and offspring disagreeing over investment duration, amount, altruistic versus egoistic tendencies, and even preferred offspring sex, intensifying during care and prompting offspring to use psychological tactics. Detailed data on mother‑offspring relations in mammals support these arguments. In some species, including humans, conflict can extend to adult reproductive roles, with parents attempting to shape offspring into non‑reproductive status against their interests.

Abstract

When parent-offspring relations in sexually reproducing species are viewed from the standpoint of the offspring as well as the parent, conflict is seen to be an expected feature of such relations. In particular, parent and offspring are expected to disagree over how long the period of parental investment should last, over the amount of parental investment that should be given, and over the altruistic and egoistic tendencies of the offspring as these tendencies affect other relatives. In addition, under certain conditions parents and offspring are expected to disagree over the preferred sex of the potential offspring. In general, parent-offspring conflict is expected to increase during the period of parental care, and offspring are expected to employ psychological weapons in order to compete with their parents. Detailed data on mother-offspring relations in mammals are consistent with the arguments presented. Conflict in some species, including the human species, is expected to extend to the adult reproductive role of the offspring: under certain conditions parents are expected to attempt to mold an offspring, against its better interests, into a permanent nonreproductive.