How Can an Understanding of Evolutionary Psychology Contribute to Social Psychology?

Abstract

The present chapter argues that the field of social psychology would benefit from a greater integration of an evolutionary framework. Reviews are provided for each of the chapters in this volume, which present evolutionary perspectives on social psychological phenomena. These chapters span eight broad areas of social psychology: social cognition, the self, attitudes and attitude change, interpersonal processes, mating and relationships, violence and aggression, health and psychological adjustment, and individual differences. We highlight some of the advantages that are associated with the application of evolutionary reasoning and suggest that future research in social psychology continue to apply an evolutionarily perspective.