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Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology Meta theory is a concept that analyses the methods, structure and properties of another theory usually referred to as the object theory. However, the meta theory only makes sense with respect to given valid object theory.
Evolutionary theory can be used as a meta theory for a unified psychology because as asserted by Buss evolutionary theory explains the process of natural selection that is applicable to any part of nature (Buss 65). As such, evolutionary theory is used as a unifying construct in the field of social science. Evolutionary theory contributes heavily to research questions that seek to address social, developmental, personality and cognitive psychology. It is viewed as a meta theory for unified psychology since it brings psychology together with all other life sciences that include politics, biology, history, medicine and legal scholarship, and in my view unites all the species, revealing our origin in as far as natural selection is concerned (Buss 72).
Darwin’s theory of natural selection states that an organism, including human beings, that possesses weak traits will be killed while the one that is stronger survives for longer and in their numbers. The stronger genes will be passed on, and the generation that follows will be slightly stronger that its predecessors. The new generation will be noticeably stronger, highly likely to survive, thrive and reproduce (Buss 75).
Sexual selection theory attempts to explain the differences in the forms of females and males of a species. It states that competition for mates among individuals of the same sex determines the evolution of specific traits such as smooth fur or skin, strong muscles and colorful plumage. Intra sexual competition usually involves male to male competition, where as intersexual competition involves one sex dominating reproductive access by choosing suitable mates from available mates (Buss 87).
In female choice, the females get to choose preferred mates due to the perceived immense resource investment in an offspring associated with the females compared to males. These theories have an effect on psychology as they all propose various explanations for differences in individual traits (Buss 89).
The products associated with the evolutionary process are adaptations, random effects and by-products. Whereas adaptations are traits that interact with the social, physical or internal conditions in ways that aid the reproduction of off springs that possess the characteristics of their relatives, by products are traits that neither have functional design nor solve adaptive problems. Random effects, on the other hand, are characteristic that neither detract from nor contribute to the organism’s functional design (Buss 92).
David Buss describes exists six features of an evolved psychological process (Buss 47). According to him, an evolved psychological process;
Is designed to absorb only narrow information slices (Buss 47).
Exists in its current form because it solved a specific survival or reproduction problem recurrently throughout evolutionary history (Buss 47).
Tells an organism the specific adaptive problem facing it (Buss 48).
Is transformed through decision rules into output (Buss 48).
Can be manifest behavior, physiological processes or information to different psychological mechanisms (Buss 49).
Is directed toward finding solutions to a particular adaptive problem (Buss 49).
Reciprocal altruism refers to the ability of an organism to act in a way that reduces its fitness at least temporarily while increasing the fitness of another organism expecting that the other organism will return the favor later (Buss 102).
Indirect reciprocity is defined as an act where a returned favor comes from an organism other than the one who received their benefaction (Buss105). Costly signaling, on the other hand, refers to acts in which organism engage in altruism to showcase their elevated status sometimes to organisms they have had no interaction with.
Works Cited
Buss, David. Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
2004.

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