PSY234 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Antisocial Personality Disorder, Positive Psychology, Takers
Week 4 Lecture - PSY234:
Evolutionary psychology and personality -
Evolutionary theory-
• The revolution of evolution
o Common ancestor - humans with primates/development of physiology
o Similarity between species
o Mutability of species – species change across time
o Genetics and heritability of characteristics
o Profound impact on psychology
o Functionalism: ‘mind in use’
• Darwin: origin of the Species (1859)
o Natural selection
▪ Individual variations within populations
▪ Competition for survival
▪ Evolutionary fitness and reproduction
▪ ‘survival of the fittest’
o Sexual selection
o Kin selection
Modern humans
• Homo sapiens
o 100,000 years ago
o species of mammals
o human genetic material exposed to a variety of diverse environments
o the effects of past environments govern human development
Evolutionary approaches to personality:
• New ‘paradigm’: seen as conceptual foundation for personality psych
o “Evolutionary psychology truly is different. It suggests a different type
of personality variable, that is, a different unit of analysis for
explaining personality structure and functioning”
o Looking at the distant past to understand present personality
Human nature:
• Evolved psychological mechanisms
• ‘Preparedness’: fear of heights, snakes, dark, strangers → we are prepared to
develop phobias compared to other ones
• Perceptual biases: spotting differences rather than similarities
• Preferences (e.g. physical appearance and mate selection; ‘beauty’ and
pathogens; Buss, 2001 → our ideals of beauty may reflect an evolutionary
preference based on determining healthy mates (may be an indicator of
biological fitness)
• “The search for a universal human nature and the search for an explanation of
individual differences in psychological traits”
The function of personality:
• Understanding personality in terms of adaptation to the environment
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• “In analyzing personality phenomena from an evolutionary perspective,
adaptations will tend to be recognizable because of the functional coordination
of psychological characteristics of behaviour”
• Functional analysis
• Function of traits:
o Personality relates to mating success, health and life expectancy
(Nettle, 2006)
o What is adaptive in one environment might not be in another
o Five Factor model and evolution
▪ Cost/benefit analysis (advt./disadvt)
▪ Survival
▪ Reproductive success
o I.e. extraversion – benefits
▪ Associated with sociability, positive emotion, exploratory
behaviour, risk taking
▪ Strong, positive relationship b/w extraversion and no. of sexual
partners
▪ High E scorers and ‘extrapair copulations’ (infidelity)
▪ More sociable and more social support
▪ More physically active and exploratory
▪ i.e. increases reproductive success and survival
o Costs associated with extraversion
▪ High sexual diversity, high levels of exploration and activity
means greater exposure to dangers
▪ E.g. those who are hospitalized due to accident or illness score
higher in extraversion
▪ Social ostracism and promiscuity
o Neuroticism: costs
▪ Greater levels of negative emotions; fear, sadness, anxiety,
guilt
▪ High N strong predictor of psychiatric disorders
▪ High N and impaired physical health (chronic activation of
stress mechanism)
▪ Neuroticism a predictor of relationship failure and social
isolation
o Benefits for N
▪ Vigilance, wariness and survival
▪ Avoiding predation and acute dangers
▪ Anxiety and threat detection
▪ Low N and extreme risk takers (e.g. mountain climbers)
▪ Neuroticism positively correlated w/ competitiveness
▪ Uni students and academic success correlates with high N
o Openness – benefits
▪ Positively correlated with artistic creativity
▪ Artistic abilities attracts mates
▪ High openness correlates with higher number of sexual partners
▪ Divergent thinking: problem solving
o Costs w openness
▪ Limits of mental flexibility
▪ Cognitive style similar to schizotypy
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Individual variations within populations: competition for survival, evolutionary fitness and reproduction. Survival of the fittest": sexual selection, kin selection. Modern humans: homo sapiens, 100,000 years ago, species of mammals, human genetic material exposed to a variety of diverse environments the effects of past environments govern human development. Evolutionary approaches to personality: new paradigm": seen as conceptual foundation for personality psych, evolutionary psychology truly is different. It suggests a different type of personality variable, that is, a different unit of analysis for explaining personality structure and functioning : looking at the distant past to understand present personality. Issue of cultural diversity (bussey & bandura, 1999 males and females are diverse) Third force" in psych (after psychoanalysis and behaviourism: focus on humanity and higher" end of human experience, e. g. human potential, happiness, creativity, phenomenological engaged with subjective experience, values unique person (idiographic, non-deterministic: advocates free-will.