dominate

DOMINANCE

Hark, the dominant's persistence till it must be answered to! --Robert Browning (Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, 1979)

No two men can be half an hour together but one will acquire an evident superiority over the other. --Samuel Johnson (Boswell's Life, 1776)

Status signal. The exercise of influence, power, or control over another.

Usage: Dominance shows in such nonverbal signals as the a. business suit, b. eyebrow raise, c. hands-on-hips posture, g. head-tilt-back cue, h. palm-down gesture, i. swagger walk, j. table-slap, k. lower tone of voice, and l. wedge-shaped broadside display. Dominance cues may also be used to express moods of confidence.

RESEARCH REPORTS: 1. Aggressive elements include the head brought forward toward another person, chin out (i.e., pushed forward), wrinkled skin on the bridge of the nose, and "A sharp movement of the head towards the other person" (Grant 1969:530). 2. "Dominance [in tree shrews] is more subtly expressed by the displacement of subordinate animals from the rest boards or food trays . . ." (Sorenson 1970:160).

Evolution. Signs of dominance evolved from offensive body movements of the fight-or-flight response, and are expressed through displays designed to make the body seem more powerful, threatening, and "bigger" to the eye (see ANTIGRAVITY SIGN and HIGH-STAND DISPLAY). Dominance cues may be used to express anger as well.

Neuro-notes. The archistriatum (the "most ancient" striatum, i.e., the amygdala of the basal ganglia) and paleostriatum (the basal ganglia's "ancient" striatum or globus pallidus) evolved to show reptilian dominance and submission through programmed movements and postural displays (MacLean 1990). In a dominant or aggressive pose, we unthinkingly square our shoulders and stand tall. The basal ganglia assist in this threatening posture through fiber links of the ansa lenticularis, which reach downward to hindbrain paleocircuits of the pontine reticular excitatory area, which descend, in turn, to spinal-cord circuits that excite antigravity muscles of the neck, back, shoulders, and legs. Configured to expand--i.e., to loom "larger" in relation to gravity and the terrestrial plain--dominance clearly shows in our body movements and postures.

E-Commentary: "I have been dating a man for 6 months now he is 55 I am 40. We have a great respect for each other and a hot sizzling relationship. He shows no signs of jealousy or possessiveness or domineering. But lately when we go out he flirts and says things to me while boxing me in with his arms on either side of me at a bar or against a wall. I enjoy the attention and I'm thinking he is letting everyone know that I am HIS woman. Can you tell me exactly what his actions mean. Should I be worried? Or ecstatic. --T. (7/20/05 10:29:55 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time)