Welcome to Evolutionary Psychology Basics
Introduction and Overview
I’ve been trying to make sense of the world my entire life. It wasn’t clear whether I could find the types of answers I was looking for, either in the big picture or on a personal level. Philosophy, psychology, and physics were maps I couldn’t quite superimpose onto an existence that seemed irrational, senseless, and overrun by suffering.
Then I discovered evolutionary psychology. It seamlessly integrates vast complexity into an architecturally sound framework, providing answers that reach below a surface scattered with misunderstanding, mistakes, and political correctness. It addresses the ultimate causation, a deeper why.
I’m going to show you the basics of evolutionary psychology through a little science mixed with fun facts. Why do we cry? Why do we keep pets? Why do we volunteer? Why are some people extroverts and some introverts? Why are flowers and jewelry common gifts? And why do the stories we tell ourselves often not align with reality?
You might fall in love with evolutionary psychology, or you might really hate it.
~
Here is a brief overview of evolution, showing how change over time happens primarily through natural selection and emphasizing the importance of variation, inheritance, and differential reproductive success within an inherently competitive life process.
This explains exactly what evolutionary psychology is and how evolution has created not only our physical structures but also our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors through domain-specific neural circuits that interact with the environment.
3. Human Nature and Hunter-Gatherer Communities
Here we look at human nature as a function of the environment that shaped it and how this can create a mismatch because our evolved nature may no longer be suited to modern times.
This section focuses on the all-important concept of survival and reproduction, resources, the function of emotions, different mating strategies, and the ever-present cost-benefit analysis.
5. Social Processes, Conflict, and Cooperation
In this section we examine the human social dynamic as well as the different advantages and challenges of cooperation, parenting, kinship, altruism, and the concepts of status and esteem.
6. Behavioral Genetics and Personality
The previous sections deal with how evolution has made us similar; this section explains how we are different by briefly touching on behavioral genetics and personality.
Here is an evolutionary perspective on mental health.
8. Evolutionary Psychology in Context; Further Resources
This section places evolutionary psychology in the context of the field of psychology as a whole, notes some of the main evolutionary theorists, and provides further resources.
This explains how evolutionary psychologist Dr. Doug Lisle changed my life and why this approach may not be for everyone.