Asked by Sammy Battaglia on May 11, 2024

verifed

Verified

What are some problems with the evolutionary psychology explanations noted here?

Evolutionary Psychology

A theoretical approach that examines mental traits such as memory, perception, and language from the perspective of human evolution and natural selection.

Explanations

Reasonings given to clarify how or why something happens or is done, providing understanding into the cause-and-effect relationships or mechanisms behind events.

  • Examine the critiques and limitations inherent in evolutionary psychology.
verifed

Verified Answer

MR
Maria ReicheMay 12, 2024
Final Answer :
The evolutionary psychological perspective has a number of problems.Among others, it suggests that we tend to choose people who are physically attractive as potential mates because physical attractiveness is an indicator of general health.We want healthy offspring to ensure that our genes will be passed on and a healthy mate increases the likelihood of this possibility.However, this does not take into consideration the possibility that someone might be physically attractive and yet still be unhealthy, as could be the case in someone who is diabetic or infected with HIV.It also does not take into consideration cultural differences in perceptions of attractiveness.In some cases, directly opposite features (e.g., thinness or heaviness) are thought to be attractive in different cultures and therefore indicators of health.A second problem revolves around the issue of being instinctually driven to pass on our genes.If this were true, contraceptive use and abortions would not have the high usage rates they do.