Evolutionary Influences
Overview
- Evolutionary psychology is a theoretical approach to psychology that attempts to explain mental and psychological traits.
- These traits are viewed as the product of evolutionary processes and can include common phobias, language abilities and memory skills.
Evolutionary Theory Basics
- Natural Selection, first proposed by Charles Darwin, proposed that certain characteristics increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction. These traits are then more likely to be passed down to the next generations.
- Sexual Selection was also proposed by Darwin, where traits that increase an individual's chance of attracting a mate are passed on more frequently.
- Due to these processes, behaviours and traits that increased the odds of survival and reproduction have become widespread within species.
Principles of Evolutionary Psychology
- The human mind is comprised of domain-specific modules, each evolved to solve a specific problem in our ancestral environment.
- These modules work together to influence our behaviour and decisions. For example, the fear response or the tendencies for social bonding.
- Evolutionary psychology proposes that our behaviour is heavily influenced by these evolved mental mechanisms or psychological adaptations.
Application to Modern Life
- Many behaviours that conferred advantages in the past may not be beneficial in the modern world. For example, our thirst for fatty foods was useful when food was scarce, but harmful in today's society with abundant food.
- Evolutionary psychology has been used to explain psychological phenomena such as mate preference, jealousy and aggression, which can all be seen as having potential adaptive benefits in our ancestral environment.
Criticism & Limitations
- It is often difficult to test the predictions of evolutionary psychology, as it is impossible to replicate the conditions of our evolutionary past.
- Critics argue that evolutionary psychology often depends on just-so stories, which are untestable narratives used to explain why a particular trait may have evolved.
- The emphasis on the genetic basis of behaviour within evolutionary psychology can lead to a neglect of the influence of the environment and learning.
Key Individuals
- Charles Darwin: Proposed the theory of evolution through natural and sexual selection.
- John Tooby and Leda Cosmides: Proposed the concept of the human brain as consisting of domain-specific modules.