Quantifying Common Criticisms of Evolutionary Psychology

O16: How Do Concepts of Evolutionary Psychology and Evolutionary Psychiatry Explain Anxiety Disorders?

Our ancestors without fear, worry and anxiety are not our ancestors, as organisms without defense systems were extinct. Therefore, while behavior such as fear and anxiety are useful to prevent harm, the exaggerated form, that is, anxiety disorders, has more costs than benefits. Likewise, while a panic attack is a normal and useful response in the face of life-threatening danger, a panic disorde...

Evolutionary Psychology as Maladapted Psychology

Criticisms of the nutrient-dependent pheromone-controlled evolutionary model

Dear Dr. Mouras, Despite his valid publications involving endocrinology, sexuality, and epigenetically induced intraspecies differentiation in model organisms, James V. Kohl overextends his expertise in trying to overthrow established evolutionary theory. His earlier publications cover topics such as behavioral effects of hormones, pheromones, and food odors (Kohl, 1996, 2012). However, in 2013...

Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology

JOHN TOOBY AND Leda Cosmides have been true pioneers in developing the conceptual foundations of evolutionary psychology, so it is fitting that they supply the first foundational chapter. They provide a fascinating tour of the discipline’s intellectual origins, showing how a series of conceptual advances, from the cognitive revolution to evolutionary game theory, led to the emergence of evoluti...

Evolutionary forensic psychology—p. 1 Toward an Evolutionary Forensic Psychology

Most theories of crime have not explored intensively biological and especially evolutionary explanations for criminal behavior. Ellis presents a valuable new perspective that proposes that physiological mechanisms shaped by evolutionary forces can provide insights into the causes of crime and sex differences in the patterns of crime. We discuss other theories and research relevant to Ellis’s th...