Human social values : explorations from an evolutionary psychology perspective.
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Date
1999
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Abstract
The series of papers in this dissertation are aimed at testing evolutionary hypotheses
concerning the adaptive advantages of religious values or experiences, a gender
difference in purpose in life and the evolutionary relationship between deception and self-deception.
Explanations are argued for in terms of their consequences for evolutionary
fitness contributing to individual survival within the human species. Darwin's theory of
natural selection within the framework of evolutionary psychology provides the
theoretical background for the study. In psychology as well as in other social sciences,
Darwinian theories of natural and sexual selection have been undergoing a revival with a
significant upsurge of an interest in evolutionary psychology as a unifying paradigm for
the understanding of human functioning as a living organism, optimising its fitness to
survive the exigencies of environmental and social selection pressures. The broad or
covering hypothesis addressed is that religious values or experiences, purpose in life,
deception and self-deception each involve a kind of consciousness or strategic cognitive
process that has evolved through the operation of natural selection due to its importance
and worth for the survival of the individual. The study is empirical, conducted by using the technique of secondary analysis on the
data yielded by the World Values Survey collected in 43 countries in its second wave of
1990 to 1993 as well as on a South African dataset containing variables of interest to the
second and third papers of this dissertation. National aggregate data has been obtained
from the United Nations Development Reports for the corresponding years under study.
Findings showed a significantly positive relationship between religious values and
evolutionary fitness promoting factors derived by factor analysis; a significantly greater
purpose in life in females as compared to males; and a significantly positive relationship
between deception and self-deception. However, the relationship between deception and
evolutionary fitness promoting factors, derived by factor analysis, was inconclusive.
Description
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, 1999.
Keywords
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882., Behaviour evolution., Human evolution., Psychology and religion., Genetic psychology., Theses--Psychology.