Integrating Evolutionary Psychology and Social Psychology: Reflections and Future Directions

Abstract

Human social psychology was shaped over a long ancestral past and should not be considered with a view to modern circumstances alone. However, social psychology and evolutionary psychology have progressed relatively independently, despite the advantages of integrating these positions. The current chapter provides a brief overview of the eight subareas of social psychology covered in this volume: social cognition, the self, attitudes and attitude change, interpersonal processes, mating and relationships, violence and aggression, health and psychological adjustment, and individual differences. Within each area, we outline several broad advantages of applying evolutionary reasoning. We suggest that future research continue to apply an evolutionarily perspective when considering social psychological questions. We conclude that the integration of evolutionary psychology and social psychology will prove invaluable to researchers investigating the proximate and ultimate mechanisms underlying human social behavior.