Essay on Social and Evolutionary Psychology - 1041 Words

Social and Evolutionary Psychology In an attempt to define civilized man’s relationship to the jungle and primitive societies, one must first consider the theories of social psychologists who have offered interpretations of modern man’s reactions upon insertion into a primitive setting. The main contrast in human states that arises from this argument is the concept of civilization versus savagery. Much is uncovered about the path man tends to take when confronted with these two options when studying the research as to what arises from man’s savage tendencies when the restraints of society no longer tame human primal instincts. One such field that explores the instinctual nature of the human psyche is†¦show more content†¦This deduction might suggest that upon reinsertion into a primal environment, humans would be even more prone to resorting back to their â€Å"instincts† as uncivilized beings. Thus, we learn from theories in Evolutionary Psychology that human â€Å"instincts† are the underlying driving forces to human action that are more potent than the restraints imposed upon man by society, and even more prevalent in â€Å"human nature† than in the daily conduct of animals apart from humans. Another field in which the distinction between civilized and primitive man is discussed is that of Social Psychology. Much emphasis is placed upon the effects of societal laws on the governance of human action. A major psychologist in this domain was William McDougall(1871-1938). In his work, An Introduction to Social Psychology, McDougall exposes various theories on the distinct aspects of civilized and primitive human tendencies: â€Å"We may accept Bagehot’s dictum that it is difficult to exaggerate the difference between civilised and primitive men (i.e., really primitive men, not the savages of the present time) in respect to their innate law-abidingness, and while we may accept also his view that the strict enforcement of law played a great part in producing thisShow MoreRelatedSocial Psychology And Evolutionary Psychology793 Words   |  4 PagesRecently a start-up social marketing Silicon Valley executive was quoted as saying If you are comfortable when you launch your site you waited too late. In other words, if one felt comfortable then this secure, comfortable feeling was an indication that one had fallen behind the innovation curve, a detriment to success. The implication was that innovation is inherently a tenuous and uncertain thing and that making it into a comfort thing is very bad strategy. Theodore Roosevelt called theRead MoreTheories Of Evolution Of Psychology1192 Words   |  5 Pages Ideas in psychology have been influenced by many fields of study ranging from philosophy to physics. Evolutionary ideas, themselves, have had a substantial role in shaping psychological thought. This paper will provide an overview of the influence of evolutionary thought on the field of psychology along with a discussion of the range of societal implications associated with evolutionary psychology. The influence of evolutionary ideas on psychology dates back to Charles Darwin, the man who proposedRead MoreEvolution Of Evolutionary Psychology And Culture1151 Words   |  5 PagesIn his article, Sadd (2012) explains the relationship of evolutionary psychology and culture, particularly regarding popular culture. He argues the theory of evolution is widely applicable in multiple disciplines. While evolution theory is essentially biological in nature, it can also give us insight to our culture, society and human behaviours. According to Sadd, recurrent themes in cultural forms could be explained by evolutionary psychology. He uses example of song lyrics and collective wisdom toRead MoreTheory of Mind Essay1086 Words   |  5 Pages Describe what evolutionary psychologists mean when they employ the term ‘theory of mind’. Use examples and research studies from Book 1, Chapter 2 to show why this theory is important in evolutionary psychology. Evolutionary psychology is a specialist field within the spectrum of psychological enquiry, which seeks to examine and understand some of the predominant reasoning behind the concept of why the human species, whilst biologically similar to other species on the planet, is so very distinctRead MoreSocial Psychology : An Uphill Battle Against Behaviorism1536 Words   |  7 Pagessince Goethals’ (2003) â€Å"A Century of Social Psychology† and seven years after Ross, Lepper, and Ward’s (2010) â€Å"History of Social Psychology†. From that time, much has changed in the historical, intellectual, and social zeitgeist that has always influenced social psychology as a field—through the latter’s desire to meet the needs and trappings of its place and time. In the same way that people interact with the situation to understand behavior and construe their social reality, the discipline (not unlikeRead MorePerspectives of Psychology1141 Words   |  5 P agesPerspectives of Psychology Psychology can be defined as the systematic study of mental processes, couple with behaviors, and experiences (Kalat, 2011). There are many ways in examining, mental processes and behaviors among people, and therefore psychologist uses different perspectives to understand how human beings, think, act, and behave. Some psychologist uses one perspective to analyze behaviors, and other uses a multidimensional approach. Carter Seifert (2013) identified 7 major perspectivesRead MoreTheoretical Perspectives That Define Social Psychology1727 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Social psychology is the study of the nature and causes of human social behavior. There are five main theoretical perspectives that define social psychology. Role, cognitive, symbolic interaction, evolutionary, and reinforcement theory are the five theoretical perspectives that help understand human social behavior. However, each theoretical perspective examines different approaches and play different roles in social psychology. Some of the theories that make up social psychology take a micro-levelRead MoreAn Overview of Evolutionary Psychology718 Words   |  3 PagesEvolutionary psychology is the study of universal human nature, or the sex specific male human nature and female human nature. Human nature consists of domain-specific evolved psychological mechanisms. A psychological mechanism is an information-processing procedure which evolution by natural and sexual selection has equipped humans to possess in order to solve an adaptive problem, such as: survival and reproduction. Psychological mechanisms mostly operate behind our conscious thinking. Evolved psychologicalRead MoreGender Biased in Medicine648 Words   |  3 Pagesexperiments without bias or sexual preference but history had taught us that even in science, women are perpetuated and â€Å"used† for their own patriarchal gain. In the paper â€Å"The Evolutionary Origins of Patriarchy† by Barbara Smuts, Smuts talks about evolutionary basis of male motivation to control female sexuality. Evolutionary psychology has its roots in Charles Darwin theory of Natural Selection-â€Å"Through natural selection, [Darwin] explained, men had become superior to woman in courage, energy, intellectRead MoreThe Personality Of Personality Psychology Essay1051 Words   |  5 Pagesby that person’s individual personality. No two personalities are alike. This is because a person’s individual personality is made up of a unique variety of characteristics called traits. Raymond Cattell, a researcher in the field of personality psychology, found that there were at least 171 traits identified and labeled by researchers. Many of these traits were closely related to each other, and carried the same meaning. Cattell realized this and â€Å"took a set of traits, collected ratings on them,