Evolutionary Psychology Controversy

A new idea is never accepted easily; when an idea first comes into existence many questions are raised before the notion convinces anyone. Along with a new theory comes many new controversies and critiques which go against the bright new idea. An example of a brilliant idea which still has many controversies surrounding it is the notion of evolutionary psychology. As this field progresses into the world, many brilliant scientists from around the world reason why they think it’s false. Both supporters and adversaries not only helped shed light for each other, but also helped shed light in helping me decide whether I wanted to stand behind this new field, or be among the many that decline it.
Evolutionary psychology is the up and coming belief
which tries to explain the motivation of human psychological evolution. This theory doesn't simply look at the bones of our ancestors; this theory goes beyond that and takes a stab at hypothesizing how our ancestors evolved natural instincts which exist in us today. For example, imprinting is a form of natural instinct which is common among ducks. When ducks first come into this world, they follow the first object they see, no matter what it is. This preprogrammed feature which naturally comes with every duck is a form of behavior evolution. An evolutionary psychologist looks at behaviors like this, some of which even exist in us. Evolutionary psychologists believe that these natural instincts are passed down through genes. These genes are selfish in choosing what benefits them and helping them reproduce. A great example of a gene which evolved over time is the natural behavioral instinct to be afraid of snakes. The theory states that a long time ago our ancestors constantly faced these slithery creatures and learned to be afraid of them and sense them, to have a better chance at the reproduction of the gene, and these habits which helped in reproduction became called adaptations. These adaptations are within us because at one point in time, they helped us in reproduction. To believe in evolutionary psychology, the individual would also have to stand behind Darwin’s ideas of sexual and natural selection.
Although evolutionary psychology has some great evidence supporting it, not everyone was fully convinced of how accurate it was.
For example, many brilliant minds critiqued that the field was not fully complete. Before becoming a successful field, it had many problems it needed to sort out. One brilliant scientist said that psychology had to deal with its dualism of mind vs body before it can even think of becoming a complete science. Not only were there critiques but controversies as well, one common controversy which was present, was the idea whether this theory could even be tested. Many scientists began to question whether evolutionary psychology could be tested and if so, how. Scientists were worried that psychological hypothesis could not be empirically tested or falsified. The evolutionary psychologists responded to this controversy quickly by making aware that the testing of evolutionary psychology is just as similar as the testing of any other science. Just like the other sciences, researchers formulate a hypothesis, in this case, something about an evolved psychological mechanism, and then put them to the test. One other major controversy which surrounds evolutionary psychology questions whether human behavior is the result of learning or evolution. Many scientists felt that the habits and instincts of a human were learned as the human grew older, they were not preprogrammed in his mind. Evolutionary psychologists responded to this idea by claiming that scientists were looking at the idea all wrong. The scientists were too busy trying to predict if it was a matter of nature or nurture that they could not see how the two exist at the same time. A great example of both interacting is seen in calluses which are formed with repeated friction to the
skin.
In my opinion, evolutionary psychology is a great field and I stand behind it. Just like everything else in life, evolutionary psychology is a working process but it’s very close to perfection. I do believe that evolution is real and thanks to that evolutionary psychology is also real. By observing our own and other individuals everyday habits we come to a realization of just how many natural habits or instincts we truly come programmed with. Although it’s only a theory, evolutionary psychology has intrigued me and I can't quite explain just how important this field is to study. By studying bones alone we realize how we have physically changed but by studying our mental mind over time we can learn how we mentally evolved and changed. Our species has been around for many years, we definitely have evolved some great adaptations over time to help us reach the top of the animal pyramid. By continuing to study our adaptations and why they were evolved we can someday learn why we are such a dominant species and what was the core development in our mental consciousness which allowed us to evolve so much. Not only will it allow us to learn but it might even help us predict where we are going
Evolutionary psychology is only a rookie in the study of the sciences but it has helped many strike a conversation. Whether it be the followers who emphasized the importance of this study or the adversaries which felt that it was pointless, evolutionary psychology has become a crucial part to learn about ourselves, and to me, that is the reason why I support it.