Evolutionary Social Psychology
Mark A. Lee
Keiser University
Evolutionary Psychology
Dr. Sonia Troche
October 21, 2015
Evolutionary Social Psychology
This chapter begins with much known dilemma in psychology weather human social behavior is influenced by their biology and genes. The authors noticed that classical social psychologists criticize evolutionary psychologists and their theories and even when they accept evolutionary perspective it is taken with great reserve and skepticism (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005).
In contrast, the authors claim that evolutionary perspective on human’s social behavior is accumulating evidence and it is becoming more and more accepted by classical social psychologist (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, …show more content…
They over emphasize their significance and rarely integrate findings into context of more distant human’s past (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Secondly, basic principles in social psychology are often too general and cannot explain specific human behavior. For example, principle of reward seeking, does not define what humans take as a reward in specific situations of social life. Namely, reward is a concept that varies from one human to the other and from one social situation to the other (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Thirdly, analyzing culture separately from evolved human’s adaptations is not justified. Culture is a product of human mind which developed simultaneously with human biology. In other words, culture, biology and evolution are correlated and in interaction, so they should be studied as interdependent variables (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, …show more content…
Interdisciplinary approach is needed today if one science such as evolutionary social psychology wants to advance. Modern social evolutionary psychologist is not reductionist any more but he or she interprets findings in contextual and interactionistic way (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). New approach must combine methods of modern cognitive laboratory and cross-cultural psychology with evolutionary perspective. And the first step towards that may be the reform of educational system. Namely, students who study behavior of any animal species learn about whole animal kingdom, so they can understand general principles and apply them to particular studied specie (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Paradoxically, students who study human’s behavior (psychologists, sociologists) can graduate their universities without any single course in zoology or evolution related subject. For psychologists, course in comparative animal behavior is of same importance as statistics course. Exposure to these subjects could free future social psychologists from genetic determinism, and misconceptions about human nature learnt by socialization. This better class of scientist could finally integrate findings into coherent theory which is not too simplistic and biased by personal believes of particular scientist (Kenrick, Maner, & Li,
Mark A. Lee
Keiser University
Evolutionary Psychology
Dr. Sonia Troche
October 21, 2015
Evolutionary Social Psychology
This chapter begins with much known dilemma in psychology weather human social behavior is influenced by their biology and genes. The authors noticed that classical social psychologists criticize evolutionary psychologists and their theories and even when they accept evolutionary perspective it is taken with great reserve and skepticism (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005).
In contrast, the authors claim that evolutionary perspective on human’s social behavior is accumulating evidence and it is becoming more and more accepted by classical social psychologist (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, …show more content…
They over emphasize their significance and rarely integrate findings into context of more distant human’s past (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Secondly, basic principles in social psychology are often too general and cannot explain specific human behavior. For example, principle of reward seeking, does not define what humans take as a reward in specific situations of social life. Namely, reward is a concept that varies from one human to the other and from one social situation to the other (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Thirdly, analyzing culture separately from evolved human’s adaptations is not justified. Culture is a product of human mind which developed simultaneously with human biology. In other words, culture, biology and evolution are correlated and in interaction, so they should be studied as interdependent variables (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, …show more content…
Interdisciplinary approach is needed today if one science such as evolutionary social psychology wants to advance. Modern social evolutionary psychologist is not reductionist any more but he or she interprets findings in contextual and interactionistic way (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). New approach must combine methods of modern cognitive laboratory and cross-cultural psychology with evolutionary perspective. And the first step towards that may be the reform of educational system. Namely, students who study behavior of any animal species learn about whole animal kingdom, so they can understand general principles and apply them to particular studied specie (Kenrick, Maner, & Li, 2005). Paradoxically, students who study human’s behavior (psychologists, sociologists) can graduate their universities without any single course in zoology or evolution related subject. For psychologists, course in comparative animal behavior is of same importance as statistics course. Exposure to these subjects could free future social psychologists from genetic determinism, and misconceptions about human nature learnt by socialization. This better class of scientist could finally integrate findings into coherent theory which is not too simplistic and biased by personal believes of particular scientist (Kenrick, Maner, & Li,