Evolutionary biology: an essential basic science for the training of the next generation of psychiatrists

Abstract

SummaryEvolutionary science can serve as the high-level organising principle for understanding psychiatry. Evolutionary concepts generate new models and ideas for future psychiatric study, research, policy and therapy. The authors accordingly make the case for the inclusion of evolutionary biology in the postgraduate education of psychiatric trainees.

The evolution of personality disorders: A review of proposals

“…Evolutionary theory is transforming psychology and psychiatry ( 25 ); there is a growing awareness that it is essential for the complete understanding of mental conditions ( 31 , 371 ) and of health and disease more generally ( 20 , 22 , 158 , 372 ). The Ukrainian geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky famously claimed that nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.…”

Evolutionary approaches and psychopathology: Life history theory and psychobiological systems for borderline personality disorder

“…En este contexto, durante los últimos años han surgido una variedad de discusiones y modelos conceptuales en psicología, psicoterapia, psiquiatría, neurociencias y otras áreas, que buscan incorporar y desarrollar explícitamente ideas desde teorías biológicas evolutivas como una estrategia para el avance en la comprensión de la complejidad causal de los fenómenos de salud mental de manera integrativa, multidisciplinar e incluyendo sus diferencias individuales (Abed et al, 2019;Crespi, 2020;Del Giudice, 2016;Durisko et al, 2016;Gilbert, 2019;Gilbert & Kirby, 2019;Han & Chen, 2020;Hayes et al, 2020a;Hayes et al, 2020b;Nesse, 2015;Shackelford & Zeigler-Hill, 2017;Zagaria & Zennaro, 2020). Uno de estos modelos se ha centrado en la comprensión de desórdenes mentales desde la Teoría de Historia de Vida (THV).…”

Criticism of Bowlby's theory of adaptedness

“…Abedi et al, 1 are enthusiastic about Bowlby's 2 'evolutionary understanding of human behaviour'. Bowlby's evolutionary psychology of the mind being a bundle of adaptations is severely criticised by the psychobiologist Henry Plotkin 3 who points out that 'the weakness of evolutionary adaptedness concept is tied to the problems encountered by adaptationist accounts of the mind of every kind … (and) insistence that the adaptations are to past environments and hence, their explanation, "lies completely in the past", which, makes them empirically inaccessible which in effect takes them out of the realm of science and imprisons it within speculative narrative'.…”

“…We thank Professor Fitzgerald for his interest in our editorial. 1 He raises two objections. The first is a challenge to the appropriateness of the application of evolution to psychology in general and the second is questioning the value of attachment theory to psychiatry.…”