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Evolutionary Psychology 101
""At long last, a readable, accessible, user friendly introduction to evolutionary psychology written by a rising star in the field. This book, filled with a broad array of fascinating topics, is bound to further whet the appetite of a growing number of students who have been inspired by this provocative, yet eminently testable approach to human behavior." Gordon G. Gallup Jr., PhD
University at Albany "A frolicking, down-to-earth, and informative introduction to the ever evolving and controversial field of evolutionary psychology." Scott Barry Kaufman , PhD
Author, Intelligence Redefined "Glenn Geher has created a text that is both comprehensive in coverage and scope and very accessible. It should be a welcome addition to the field that serves to further individuals' understanding of Evolutionary Psychology." T. Joel Wade , PhD
Professor and Chair of Psychology, Bucknell University This is a concise and student-friendly survey of the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology (EP) and the controversies that surround it. Evolutionary psychology is an approach to studying human behavior that is rooted in modern evolutionary theory. Firmly grounded in the theoretical and research literature of EP, the book addresses the core theories, approaches, applications, and current findings that comprise this discipline. It is unique in its interdisciplinary focus, which encompasses EP's impact on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines. Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society, the text examines psychological processes that lead to human survival and those that may lead to reproductive benefitsósometimes even at a cost to survival. It cites a rich body of literature that provides insights into the role of sexual selection in shaping the human mind. The text presents current research on such important domains of EP as childhood, courtship, intrasexual competition, sex, pair-bonding, parenting, familial relations, non-familial relations, aggression, and altruism. Considering the potential of EP to mitigate some of our greatest social problems, the text examines the ways in which EP can be applied to society and religion. It also offers a thoughtful, balanced approach to such controversies in EP as the issues of genetic determinism, racism, and sexism. Key
University at Albany "A frolicking, down-to-earth, and informative introduction to the ever evolving and controversial field of evolutionary psychology." Scott Barry Kaufman , PhD
Author, Intelligence Redefined "Glenn Geher has created a text that is both comprehensive in coverage and scope and very accessible. It should be a welcome addition to the field that serves to further individuals' understanding of Evolutionary Psychology." T. Joel Wade , PhD
Professor and Chair of Psychology, Bucknell University This is a concise and student-friendly survey of the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology (EP) and the controversies that surround it. Evolutionary psychology is an approach to studying human behavior that is rooted in modern evolutionary theory. Firmly grounded in the theoretical and research literature of EP, the book addresses the core theories, approaches, applications, and current findings that comprise this discipline. It is unique in its interdisciplinary focus, which encompasses EP's impact on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines. Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society, the text examines psychological processes that lead to human survival and those that may lead to reproductive benefitsósometimes even at a cost to survival. It cites a rich body of literature that provides insights into the role of sexual selection in shaping the human mind. The text presents current research on such important domains of EP as childhood, courtship, intrasexual competition, sex, pair-bonding, parenting, familial relations, non-familial relations, aggression, and altruism. Considering the potential of EP to mitigate some of our greatest social problems, the text examines the ways in which EP can be applied to society and religion. It also offers a thoughtful, balanced approach to such controversies in EP as the issues of genetic determinism, racism, and sexism. Key
234 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 28, 2018
Nice overview of the topic. Very readable.
January 5, 2019
Why are men jealous? Why are step-parents 100 times more likely to kill their children than a biological parent? Evolutionary psychology offers explanations for these and various other behaviors by applying the principles of evolution.
Like the rest of our body, our brain has been shaped by natural selection. Certain qualities such as jealousy have been selected because they facilitate reproduction. Men who weren't jealously guarding their mates from other men were less likely to reproduce than men who were. Modern men descended from jealous ancestors. Most behavioral and personality traits in humans (and other organisms) show some level of heritability.
A prominent writer on the subject, Glen Geher gives a reader-friendly overview of his field. He describes the basics of evolutionary psychology, and how it provides valuable insight into such activities as mating, altruism, aggression, and art, politics, urban planning, child development and education, medicine, nutrition, exercise, and mental health.
The most controversial aspect of evolutionary psychology is in attributing behavioral differences between the sexes to biological differences.
Reproduction requires a much larger and longer investment by women than men. Consequently, women tend to be more selective in mating than men, and the sexes have different priorities in a mate.
Other differences in sexual behavior are consistent with far different levels of investment in reproduction by men and women. It’s no surprise that men want more sex partners than women, they are much more willing to consent to sex with strangers, and they are less likely to require emotional commitment from their partners.
Women find it more threatening when a spouse falls in love with someone else rather than simply having sex. It's the opposite with men. The differences make sense in terms of natural selection.
Research finds that ovulation affects women's behavior in a way detectable to men. Strippers earn twice the tips when they are are near the peak of their ovulatory cycle compared to when women are at other points of their cycle. Strippers on the pill don't ovulate and make significantly lower tips.
Disabesity is a modern epidemic resulting from the major mismatch between the current environment and the one that our ancestors adapted to. Humans prefer high-fat and high-sweet foods that were scarce during that long period of development when such preferences were healthy adaptations. Those preferences lead to unhealthy outcomes in a society where such foods are abundant.
Students and the public find these topics fascinating. But there is substantial opposition to evolutionary psych, especially in the academe. E O.Wilson faced such a backlash from his treatise Sociobiology (1975) that the word sociobiology is tainted and longer used.
Critics on the fundamentalist right deny evolution. Some critics on the left contend that behavioral differences are the result exclusively of societal expectations and constructions, not due to any biological factors or genetic determinism.
Geher does not contend, however, that genes determine behavior while culture and situations don't matter. On the contrary, "evolutionary psychology is situationist at its core," seeing context as a key factor in a certain behavior that is far less likely in different contexts. One crticism he concedes is a risk of overapplying evolutionary theory to explain all kinds of behaviors.
Despite the controversy, Geher remains optimistic. "The application of evolutionary principles to our understanding of issues of humanity is still in its infancy." Ideologies should not be able to squelch the pursuit of inconvenient truth . ###
Like the rest of our body, our brain has been shaped by natural selection. Certain qualities such as jealousy have been selected because they facilitate reproduction. Men who weren't jealously guarding their mates from other men were less likely to reproduce than men who were. Modern men descended from jealous ancestors. Most behavioral and personality traits in humans (and other organisms) show some level of heritability.
A prominent writer on the subject, Glen Geher gives a reader-friendly overview of his field. He describes the basics of evolutionary psychology, and how it provides valuable insight into such activities as mating, altruism, aggression, and art, politics, urban planning, child development and education, medicine, nutrition, exercise, and mental health.
The most controversial aspect of evolutionary psychology is in attributing behavioral differences between the sexes to biological differences.
Reproduction requires a much larger and longer investment by women than men. Consequently, women tend to be more selective in mating than men, and the sexes have different priorities in a mate.
Other differences in sexual behavior are consistent with far different levels of investment in reproduction by men and women. It’s no surprise that men want more sex partners than women, they are much more willing to consent to sex with strangers, and they are less likely to require emotional commitment from their partners.
Women find it more threatening when a spouse falls in love with someone else rather than simply having sex. It's the opposite with men. The differences make sense in terms of natural selection.
Research finds that ovulation affects women's behavior in a way detectable to men. Strippers earn twice the tips when they are are near the peak of their ovulatory cycle compared to when women are at other points of their cycle. Strippers on the pill don't ovulate and make significantly lower tips.
Disabesity is a modern epidemic resulting from the major mismatch between the current environment and the one that our ancestors adapted to. Humans prefer high-fat and high-sweet foods that were scarce during that long period of development when such preferences were healthy adaptations. Those preferences lead to unhealthy outcomes in a society where such foods are abundant.
Students and the public find these topics fascinating. But there is substantial opposition to evolutionary psych, especially in the academe. E O.Wilson faced such a backlash from his treatise Sociobiology (1975) that the word sociobiology is tainted and longer used.
Critics on the fundamentalist right deny evolution. Some critics on the left contend that behavioral differences are the result exclusively of societal expectations and constructions, not due to any biological factors or genetic determinism.
Geher does not contend, however, that genes determine behavior while culture and situations don't matter. On the contrary, "evolutionary psychology is situationist at its core," seeing context as a key factor in a certain behavior that is far less likely in different contexts. One crticism he concedes is a risk of overapplying evolutionary theory to explain all kinds of behaviors.
Despite the controversy, Geher remains optimistic. "The application of evolutionary principles to our understanding of issues of humanity is still in its infancy." Ideologies should not be able to squelch the pursuit of inconvenient truth . ###
June 11, 2018
Not worth your time.
I dropped the book when I read "the research uncovered... females showing a much stronger preference for vaginal intercourse." Geher obviously doesn't know what he is talking about. Most empirical studies have confirmed that women prefer coitus interaction.
Besides, the link between psychology and evolution is not clearly demonstrated.
Overall, not worth your time.
I dropped the book when I read "the research uncovered... females showing a much stronger preference for vaginal intercourse." Geher obviously doesn't know what he is talking about. Most empirical studies have confirmed that women prefer coitus interaction.
Besides, the link between psychology and evolution is not clearly demonstrated.
Overall, not worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews