Evolutionary Forensic Psychology: Darwinian Foundations of Crime and Law

0
0

The field of forensic psychology explores the intersection of psychology and the law. The purpose of this book is to examine topics in the field using the powerful, multidisciplinary, conceptually integrated approach that the natural sciences have embraced for decades with great success.Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection is the meta-theoretical framework that unifies the field of biology. It unites research and understanding of the development, control, and organization of behavior. The study of humans, which includes all of the social sciences, is part of the field of biology. Darwin's theory provides a powerful meta-theoretical framework that can unify and energize forensic psychology, just as it has the biological sciences.Evolutionary processes undoubtedly shaped physiological characteristics to help solve problems of survival and reproduction. The lungs, for example, with their vast surface area and moist membranes are marvelous adaptions for extracting oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Natural selection is the only known process capable of shaping complex functional mechanisms. Just as it shaped physiological adaptations with specific problem-solving functions, it also shaped our thoughts and emotions to guide behaviors toward solving recurrent problems of survival and reproduction. With this logic, we can use knowledge of ancestral problems to guide our understanding of how the mind works.Evolutionary Forensic Psychology is a necessary step toward a unified and complete understanding of psychology and the law. It recognizes that crimes such as murder, non-lethal violence, rape, and theft are manifestations of evolutionarily recurrent selection when they gave individuals an advantage in competition for resources. Each of the chapters that comprise this volume has been selected to provide the first unified examination of important research contributions and future directions of Evolutionary Forensic Psychology.

Page Count:
327

|

Publication Date:
2008-01-01

Psychology

Law

Social sciences

Forensic Psychology

Social Psychology

Professional, Career & Trade

Community Tags

Similar Books

Defensible Space; Crime Prevention Through Urban Design.
John Marshall - A Life In Law
Angel Dusted: A Family's Nightmare
Little people in America: The social dimension of dwarfism
International personnel policies and practices
Watts and Woodstock: Identity and Culture in the United States and South Africa (CBS Computer Books)
Handbook of Social Science Methods (v. 3)
Women in the criminal justice system
The Egalitarian city: Issues of rights, distribution, access, and power
Growing Up With Children: An Introduction to Working With Young Children
With charity for all: Welfare and society, ancient times to the present
Environment and population;: Problems and solutions
Women's worlds: From the new scholarship
Little People in America
A Stranger in My House: Jews and Arabs in the West Bank