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Name – Evolutionary Psychology – Date
Background:
Chapter 8 outlined the branch of psychology referred to as Evolutionary Psychology. It
proposes that evolved psychological mechanisms such as inclinations, adaptive fears, and
behavioral predispositions arise from human psychological configurations shaped by natural
selection. Key examples include the evolution of sexual behavior, where males have evolved a
preference for fertile females over time. On the other hand, females have evolved a preference
for males who can provide for their offspring. Thus when choosing a mate, the male would
consider the reproductive age of the female because of his need to procreate. Adaptation in
parenting is also an example in evolutionary psychology. During pregnancy, the mother
experiences symptoms that evolve in the first trimester to ensure the fetus is protected. These
include nausea and vomiting, which according to evolutionary psychologists, prevent the mother
from taking anything harmful to the fetus. In addition, the infant-directed language is portrayed
by the mother during the early months of the infant's life when they cannot speak. This helps the
mother communicate with the infant when it does not have language skills. Dispositions in
group living are further evidence of evolutionary psychology. In this case, the emphasis is on the
evolution of human language to enable communication between individuals in a group or
society. In addition, the capacity for understanding and communicating emotional expression is a
further sign of evolved psychology. In terms of promoting behavior change, evolutionary
psychology does not propose therapy as other branches of psychology do. This is because it does
not have the experimental structure of control, intervention, and placebo group. It, however,
proposes explanations or interventions to simplify the everyday lives of individuals by evolving
their behavior to adapt to their environment or to enable them to survive.
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Evaluative Critique:
One pro outlined in the chapter about evolutionary psychology is that it stimulates debate
about ideological issues. It can provide explanations about the changes in behavior over a period
of time as evidence of psychological evolution. Another pro expressed in the chapter is that
evolutionary psychology has provided testable hypotheses. Therefore the proposals it has can be
verified and argued through evidence. This has strengthened the validity of the theory. A con
referred to in this chapter is that the inferred psychological mechanisms of evolutionary
psychology overlook gender differences. The theory needs to factor in aspects of gender when
explaining evolutionary behavior and survival mechanisms. Additionally, the chapter identifies
post hoc reasoning as another con of evolutional psychology. Critics postulate that the theory is
based on believing that a prior event follows another. It assumes a causal relationship which in
itself is not evidence of the actual evolution of the mind resulting in change of behaviour.
Real-World Applications:
Evolutional psychology can assist people with inherited fears or behavioral tendencies. It
can help them understand the origin of their fears and, in so doing, give them the confidence to
overcome them. This would enable them to live more full filling lives free of their fears and self-
defeating behavior. Child-directed speech can be effectively applied in assisting parents in
communicating with their children through a change of tone and sounds that express emotion to
the child. This can help with the developmental progress of the child. It can also help with
addressing child abuse in biological and step-families. Evolutionary psychology helps to provide
an understanding of the genetic determinants of child abuse.
