Paul F. Brain – författare

Behaving like the other sex has been observed in a number of species of mammals, although such behaviour is generally more common in the female than the male. This study discusses why such capacity is so common in sexually differentiated animals. The contributors gather together information on the generation of heterotypical sexual behaviour and on certain forms of aggression. They provide a review of the current state of knowledge from both animal experimentation and human clinical studies, looking at the role of physiological mechanisms and experiences in such controversial topics as the genesis of homosexuality.

In the 1980s the relationship between alcohol and aggression and violence was a controversial one. Much of previous thinking had been based on anecdotal evidence. In contrast this book, originally published in 1986, is based upon recent scientific evidence from a broad range of studies from animal experimentation to clinical and social research. The initial chapters describe what aggression is, in terms of theories of animal behaviour, how alcohol influences neural and endocrine functions and behaviour and how problematic it often is to extrapolate from animal research to humans. Later chapters give critical reviews of attempts to relate alcohol intake to violence and crime.The book represents a major synthesis of work from many disciplines and will interest workers in animal behaviour, alcohol studies, psychopharmacology and social psychology.