Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: There is a growing interest in the unification of health research in a biopsychosocial framework.However, increasing specialization and advancement in instrumentation makes it more difficult to bridge understanding across areas.It would be very useful to ground biopsychosocial research in the most powerful explanatory framework in the life sciences, evolution by natural and sexual selection.This would require and explanation of the functional significance of the phenomena related to the area of study, in addition to descriptions of the mechanism.The application of an integrative evolutionary framework will be illustrated with the example of sex differences in human mortality rates, which are related to endocrine, psychological, and socio-environmental factors.The integrative evolutionary model will be contrasted with a theoretical model that acknowledges physiological and social influences, but artificially separates them.
Author: Daniel J. Kruger
Institutions: University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1893047791