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16 - Evolutionary Personality Psychology

from Part IV - Biological Perspectives: Evolution, Genetics and Neuroscience of Personality

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2020

By
David M. G. Lewis ,
Laith Al-Shawaf  and
David M. Buss
Edited by
Philip J. Corr  and
Gerald Matthews
Philip J. Corr
Affiliation:
City, University London
Gerald Matthews
Affiliation:
University of Central Florida
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Summary

Historically, psychology has been characterized by a dichotomy between branches that focus on human nature and those that focus on individual differences. Initial “grand theories” of personality, such as those advanced by Freud, Maslow and others, were interested in universal psychological features. For Freud, the emphasis was on sexual and aggressive “instincts” and a universal sequence of psychosexual stages. For Maslow, the focus was on a hierarchy of universal psychological needs, from immediate physiological demands to “self-actualization.” Historically, personality psychology has been the primary branch that has aspired to such broad conceptualizations of human nature.

Type
Chapter
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The Cambridge Handbook of Personality Psychology , pp. 223 - 234
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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