An evolutionary perspective of personality and individual differences proposes that our personalities and individual differences have evolved, in part, to provide us with some form of adaptive advantage in the context of survival and reproduction. This perspective is an evolutionary psychology perspective, which in itself is based on biological evolutionary theory. Evolutionary psychology integrates psychological theory with evolutionary biology, in an effort to understand traits, cognition, and behaviors, and how individuals may differ across these in light of achieving their evolutionary goals. Show
IntroductionEvolutionary perspectives of personality and individual differences are attempts at explaining our human traits and characteristics at a species level, group level (e.g., male and female differences, differences in specific personality traits), and at an individual level (i.e., how each of us are... This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution. Arak, A., & Enquist, M. (1993). Hidden preferences and the evolution of signals. Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences, 340, 207–213. CrossRef Google Scholar Arnqvist, G., & Rowe, L. (2002). Antagonistic coevolution between the sexes in a group of insects. Nature, 415, 787. https://doi.org/10.1038/415787a. CrossRef PubMed Google Scholar Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2007). Empirical, theoretical, and practical advantages of the HEXACO model of personality structure. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 11, 150–166. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868306294907. 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Rights and permissionsReprints and Permissions Copyright information© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature About this entryCite this entryKahl, B.L., Kavanagh, P.S. (2018). Evolutionary Perspective. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1632-1 How are biopsychology and evolutionary psychology similar and how are they different?While biopsychology typically focuses on the immediate causes of behavior based in the physiology of a human or other animal, evolutionary psychology seeks to study the ultimate biological causes of behavior.
What is the biological and evolutionary perspectives?The evolutionary perspective draws on Darwinian principles of evolution and natural selection to explain how gender differences evolve. Individuals who are fertile, live long enough to reproduce, and are able to raise their offspring will successfully pass on their characteristics to the next generation.
How does biological psychology relate to other perspectives?The biological perspective is a way of looking at psychological issues by studying the physical basis for animal and human behavior. It is one of the major perspectives in psychology and involves such things as studying the brain, immune system, nervous system, and genetics.
How does evolutionary perspective relates to the study of psychology?The evolutionary perspective relates to the way that cognitive behaviors go through the process of natural selection just as the human body has done. 2. This perspective also considers the way that emotions, memory, perspective and more have been used in history and have evolved in the current era.
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