Evolution, Psychology, and a Conflict Theory of Culture
Evolutionary Psychology www.epjournal.net – 2009. 7(2): 208-233
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Original Article
Evolution, Psychology, and a Conflict Theory of Culture
Kevin MacDonald, Department of Psychology, California State University – Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA. Email: kmacd@csulb.edu (Corresponding author).
Abstract: This article develops an evolutionary theory of conflict over the construction of culture that is informed by current knowledge of psychological mechanisms. Psychological mechanisms important for the production of culture include (1) general intelligence (including the ability to engender hypothetical scenarios and means-end reasoning necessary for constructing tools and other exemplars of technology); (2) explicit processing mechanisms (e.g., symbolic representations of the world). Explicit processing allows humans to regulate modular mechanisms in accordance with culturally constructed norms and culturally constructed cost/benefit payoff schedules. It also enables active attempts to construct culture in accordance with explicit perceptions of possible costs and benefits. Because people have different construals of the costs and benefits of particular forms of culture, there is conflict over the construction of culture. Social controls and ideologies are introduced as general cultural categories that are enabled by explicit processing and which are able to regulate and motivate behavior within particular historical contexts, at times in ways that conflict with evolved predispositions. Ideologies are often intimately intertwined with various social controls but are logically and psychologically independent from social controls. Ideologies typically rationalize extant social controls but they also benefit from the power of social controls to enforce ideological conformity in schools or in religious institutions. Because of the control of explicit processing over behavior, this theory predicts that conflicts over culture will
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Original Article
Evolution, Psychology, and a Conflict Theory of Culture
Kevin MacDonald, Department of Psychology, California State University – Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA. Email: kmacd@csulb.edu (Corresponding author).
Abstract: This article develops an evolutionary theory of conflict over the construction of culture that is informed by current knowledge of psychological mechanisms. Psychological mechanisms important for the production of culture include (1) general intelligence (including the ability to engender hypothetical scenarios and means-end reasoning necessary for constructing tools and other exemplars of technology); (2) explicit processing mechanisms (e.g., symbolic representations of the world). Explicit processing allows humans to regulate modular mechanisms in accordance with culturally constructed norms and culturally constructed cost/benefit payoff schedules. It also enables active attempts to construct culture in accordance with explicit perceptions of possible costs and benefits. Because people have different construals of the costs and benefits of particular forms of culture, there is conflict over the construction of culture. Social controls and ideologies are introduced as general cultural categories that are enabled by explicit processing and which are able to regulate and motivate behavior within particular historical contexts, at times in ways that conflict with evolved predispositions. Ideologies are often intimately intertwined with various social controls but are logically and psychologically independent from social controls. Ideologies typically rationalize extant social controls but they also benefit from the power of social controls to enforce ideological conformity in schools or in religious institutions. Because of the control of explicit processing over behavior, this theory predicts that conflicts over culture will
References: Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 7(2). 2009. -228- Conflict theory of culture Cochran, G., and Harpending, H Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 7(2). 2009. -229- Conflict theory of culture Behaviour, 6, 245–282 Harpending, H., and Cochran, G. (2002). In our genes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 99, 10–12. Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 7(2). 2009. -231- Conflict theory of culture Richeson, J Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 7(2). 2009. -232- Conflict theory of culture Werth, N Evolutionary Psychology – ISSN 1474-7049 – Volume 7(2). 2009.