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Freud and others, notably Hans Lampl, have indicated that the existence of a sexual latency period is not only an exclusively human phenomenon, but that perhaps 'the evolution of the latency period [is] the pivot of the question of
man's origin'. Under what conditions, phylogenetically, has the latency period emerged? Study of apes reveals relevant data. The male ape, in sharp contrast to males of lower species, is sexually excited or excitable eighty to ninety percent of the time. His retention of the sexually attractive (oestrual) and fertile females depends on his ability to dominate the younger 'bachelors', to keep them at a distance from the more desirable and exciting members of the harem. Those 'young bachelors' who challenge the dominant male to combat before reaching full physical (not sexual) maturity are not only worsted physically in the battle: they are also likely to suffer disturbances of potency thereafter, as revealed in sex play or actual coitus with nonoestrual females. On the other hand, the bachelor who, though sexually mature, postpones such battle until his physical development insures victory over the aging dominant male of the herd will emerge not only dominant but sexually potent. Thus status, leadership, and propagation are the prizes for successful control of libido directed toward attractive females and postponement of aggression against the dominant male. Sexual selection therefore favors those best able to tolerate tension and postpone the discharge of their instinctual impulses, those who can best master their libido and their aggression. 'The descendants of this herd may develop an ego organization, with its inherent hostility to instinct.'