Yes, the "clearing of the West" so that "civilization" can spread was a function of Males, a function men were constructed to perform, and an an extraordinarily dangerous one at that.

The "self interest" (whether of earning money in a capitalist system for whiskey [self-medicating the result of trauma with alcohol] or displaying mating behaviors for sexual selection, ie. being "tough and manly" so that women are attracted) that the men display is actually a manifestation of social programming that instructed them to take on the task/function of clearing the West.