The evolutionary psychology debate

The Theory Debate in Psychology

This paper is a conceptual analysis of the theory debate in psychology, as carried out by cognitivists and radical behaviorists. The debate has focused on the necessity of theories in psychology. However, the logically primary issue is the nature of theories, or what theories are. This claim stems from the fact that cognitivists and radical behaviorists adopt disparate accounts of the nature of...

Evolutionary Psychology as Maladapted 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 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...

The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology has penetrated many disciplines, and space limitations unfortunately precluded inclusion of all of them. Asthese words are written , there are rapidly emerging new hybrid disciplines, such as evolutionary In the final analysis, all human behavior-including economic behavior, legal behavior, artistic behavior , and organizational behavior-is a product of evolved psycholog...