Evolutionary Psychology and Attraction - Report Example

I. Introduction Opposite to what a number of its critiques claim, evolutionary psychology is not just a simple speculation, or ‘just so’ narratives which are not viable for testing. Many believe these opponents’ claim. Influential personalities have promoted these critiques, and they were at times to a certain extent factual, when evolutionary psychology was referred to as sociobiology. In the premature days of sociobiology, there were numerous speculations with insignificant scientific or quantitative evaluation. However, this is no longer true (Eisenman, 2004). Sociobiology, with its focus on biological accounts of evident social facts has developed into evolutionary psychology, with its stress on the process of the evolution of the brain, and the extent of influence of people’s desire to survive and to multiply their genes into the next generations to their present behavior and conduct (ibid). Sociobiology or evolutionary psychology both in the modern age apply scientific methods of investigation, and subject raw data to quantitative analysis. Obviously, any science makes use of speculations, theory, and others. However, these are applied in the service of an empirical framework, and the aged criticisms are nowadays primarily incorrect. The concept of evolution is the adhesive in biology. Carrying this concept into psychology has offered countless new ideas and insights (ibid). Evolutionary psychology is one of the most essential new assumptions of the contemporary times, making use of Darwin’s ideas on evolution and natural selection to the psychological study of humans. There has been, as several think, a paradigm shift in psychology, such that several phenomena clarified in terms of social causation, or impossible to explain at all, are now clarified in evolutionary psychology discipline. Hence, evolutionary, biological clarifications have turned out to be more often in psychology, while explanations in terms of social psychology, education or culture have turned out to be observed as less practical (Mortola, 1999). Genes and the environment function together, hence these other regions are not declined, and they merely are not applied as much anymore as the foremost explanation of phenomena. Using the concept of human sexuality, this paper will show how the innovated evolutionary psychology explains significant ideas nowadays which are previously not available (ibid). II. Human Sexuality Evolutionary psychology has been particularly valuable in the discipline of human sexuality, where people’s understanding lingers behind the significance of a discipline that influences all of humanity. Not only would humanity not survive but for attraction and intercourse between heterosexuals. Yet, as well as, there are several important features of human sexuality, integrating both biology and sexual relationships, that are inadequately understood. There are four regions in which evolutionary psychology offers exceptionally relevant ideas, and in which other disciplines appear incapable to explain satisfactorily what is taking place (Alcock, 1989). Other disciplines have a number of ideas, but nothing similar to that presented by evolutionary psychology. The four regions that appear particularly important and in which evolutionary psychology gives outstanding insights are the inclinations of both males and females for sexual contact over masturbation; the fondness for males, as they mature, for younger female sexual partners; female sexual urge during peak of fertility; and, dissimilarities between male and female in terms of the sentiment of jealousy (ibid). A. Sexual Intercourse against Masturbation At initial glance, it might seem evident that individuals favor sexual intercourse to masturbation. For one reason, human culture frequently rejects masturbations, and establishes it as some unpleasant thing only done by people who are mentally upset, or who are inadequate since they are incapable of finding a mate. Nevertheless, the reality is far more intricate (Eisenman, 2004). Renowned sex researchers Masters and Johnson (1966) discovered that masturbation offers more strength physiologically, such as perhaps pleasurable intensity, for both sexes than does sexual intercourse. Thus, even with cultural prohibitions, why would individuals not favor masturbation over sexual intercourse? Even when conditions are forbidden, people normally seek to find out the origins of pleasure, and expose the findings to the world. Evolutionary psychology presents responses or answers. While there could be some other answers from other disciplines, it is obvious that if there will be a discipline to clearly explain the inclination for intercourse over masturbation it is evolutionary psychology. The answer of evolutionary psychology is that sexual contact can send human genes into future generations, while masturbation us unable to do so. Because a major need of humans, as evolutionary psychology attests, is to convey human genes into future generations, people will endeavor in behavior that guarantees to do so (Buss, 1999). Even behaviors that are improbable to do so, such as the use of birth control during sexual intercourse, include the sexual intercourse attitude that does transmit genes into future generations. Hence, sexual intercourse is a commanding, natural longing of human and animals alike, notwithstanding whether or not family planning methods is also used (ibid). B. Sexual Attraction by Aging Males for Younger Females The second concern, sexual attraction by aging males for younger females, as well as bring into play the gene-dispersal explanation. With the absence of this explanation, there is no means to appreciate why males, as they reach older age, prefer younger female sex partners (Eisenman, 2004). Significant part of this may be attributable to sexual imagination, however, as Glenn Wilson (1992) emphasizes, in sexual imagination people frequently see what the person actually craves for. In real life, it is typically merely the exceptionally wealthy or influential who are essentially capable to live out their sexual imaginations. As the man gets older, he becomes anxious that his genes will not be as good as when he was young. Just as men in common yearn for youth, physical attractiveness and health in their female spouse, in order for their genes to be good ones and will be propagated into future generations, so as well as the aging man aims this. Yet, he aims it even more so than the normal, as he becomes anxious, possibly unaware, that his genes are not as high quality now as they were some time ago (Wilson, 1992). To compensate for this, his spouse must have outstanding genetic probability. The means to realize this is to equalize his aging with her youth. Nowadays, evolutionary psychology has emerged and offered a hypothetical structure of male and female cravings, which clarifies why aging men would prefer young, female spouse (ibid). C. Dissimilarities in Male and Female Jealousy For several years, until reaching into evolutionary psychology, a few people have been puzzled by something. On nearly any measure of sexual behavior of desire, the male appears more enthusiastic in sex than the female. Males endeavor in more various types of sexual behaviors than women, are more sensitive to sex with strangers, have more differed sexual desires than women, etc. (Wilson, 1992). Men appear much more accommodating, much more open-minded, in sex than do women. But, why is it then, that women are frequently much more tolerant of their partner having a sexual affair? The woman will stomach her lover or spouse committing sexual affairs with others, but the male will frequently appear to become insane when his partner does the same thing, and may choose violence to regain his honor and ego (ibid). Evolutionary psychology attempted to explain this otherwise perplexing phenomenon. David Buss (1999) investigated human sexuality in 37 dissimilar cultures. He discovered stable male against female sex disparities across the 37 cultures. Males preferred young partners, attractive and healthy, while females preferred partners who are wealthy, powerful and influential. Men desire numerous partners, while women are more enthusiastic in a partner who will think about and care for her and her children. Each sex is pursuing the type of partner who will most excellently assist them propagate their genes into future generations. When it comes to the issue of jealousy, there are also sex distinctions that are present. Men are intimidated by any sexual contact their partner endeavors in with others, because this could lead to rearing an offspring who will not propagate his genes into future generations. He might not be aware that it is not his child and hence spends resources into a child whose genes do not belong to him, and the future generations gene induce for the man is nothing. For the woman, the risk is when the man has sentimental or emotional deal with the other partner. Sexual contact as such is not that significant a threat. The genuine threat is that he will cease thinking about and caring for the female spouse or lover and begin caring for the other partner. Hence, jealousy habitually comes from various sources in both men and women (ibid). III. Human Sexuality Narratives Even though human sexuality and male-female relationships has been one of the primary zones that evolutionary psychology has offered people with paramount research discoveries, the discipline does not restrict itself to sex. There are several other regions examined by evolutionary psychology, yet it is quite important to study the narratives. Narratives are the stories people tell. From a fundamental perspective, one could assume that there is no truth, merely narratives (Baker & Bellis, 1993). Even devoid of this fundamental perspective, one can understand the significance of the narrative as a means of communication and thinking. In current years, the investigation of narratives has mounted, and there are recent published manuscripts committed to the study of the narrative (ibid). From an evolutionary psychology framework, the brain has developed over the path of thousands of years. People know from historical discoveries that premature cultures did not possess the language or brainpower that people nowadays have. Consequently, particular structures could be innate in people’s language and thinking, and which could clarify the narrative discoveries that were presented by some scholars (ibid). Mortola (1999) following the works of other scholars in such areas as cognitive psychology, philosophy, etc, proposes that there are three essential components in narrative, which have a propensity to abide by this order: “equilibrium, disequilibrium and modified equilibrium” (Eisenman, 2003, 130). Equilibrium is conversation or writing about things being appropriate. Then, equilibrium in communication will eventually stop and things are then transformed into a state of disorder, referred to as disequilibrium. Lastly, the narrative would be modified equilibrium, in which a number of improvements are located. This improvement does not necessarily have to suggest a solution, but merely an improvement over the disequilibrium stage. For instance, the ensuing communication would suit both the three factors and the supposed ordering of the three factors of narrative: an individual talks about their blissful marriage, which is equilibrium, then how the marriage became miserable for both of them and possibly ends in separation, which is disequilibrium, then how they are learning the technique to handle their new situation, which is modified equilibrium (ibid). IV. Conclusions Several of the researches discussed above demonstrate that evolutionary psychology is not merely speculation of ‘just so’ narratives that cannot be proven or debunked. Intensive research is being conducted, new ideas are being presented, and it is taking place in the manner that scientific research should take place. Evolutionary psychology is creating numerous significant theoretical and scientific progresses (Eisenman, 2004). Relevant discoveries in areas such as fertility, smell, sexual partner preferences, narrative, and others provide people with insight not beforehand accessible. People will neglect evolutionary psychology at their own rational risk. Nevertheless, a number of primary concerns still linger on. Should people claim that there is survival worth in propagating their genes into future generations, or that evolutionary psychology maintains that people are motivated, possibly unaware, to accomplish this? (ibid). Or, should people on the other hand claim that spreading their genes into future generations is the outcome of accomplishing particular activities, which have survival importance such as men selecting younger women as partners, women selecting men with power and authority as partners, etc. Works Cited Alcock, J. (1989). Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach . Sunderland, MA: Sinaurer Associates. Baker, R. & Bellis, M.A. (1993). Human Sperm Competition: Ejaculate Manipulation by Females and a Function for the Female Orgasm. Animal Behavior , 887-909. Buss, D. (1999). Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Chomsky, N. (1972). Language and Mind. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich. Eisenman, R. (2004). Why Evolutionary Psychology is not Mere Speculation or Just So Stories? Journal of Evolutionary Psychology , 128+. Masters, W. & Johnson, V.E. (1966). Human Sexual Response. Boston: Little Brown. Mortola, P. (1999). Narrative Formation and Gestalt Closure. Gestalt Review , 308-320. Wilson, G. (1992). The Great Sex Divide. Washington, DC: Scott-Townsend Publishers. Read More