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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science pp 1–2Cite as

Psychopathology Versus Adaptation

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Synonyms

Neurodiversity

Definition

The potential reframing of psychological abnormalities and pathologies as having adaptive, evolutionary fitness-maximizing attributes.

The scientific conceptualization of psychological abnormalities and pathologies has been steadily refined through developments in cognitive science, neurobiology, and neuroendocrinology. The role that genetic and epigenetic influences play in undergirding the neural and biochemical activity that influences human cognitive development and function is now well-established in the literature. Indeed, many mental health conditions that have typically been referred to as “diseases” or “ailments” are probably normal instances of within-species phenotypic variation with respect to differences in cognitive and affective processing and subsequent behavioral output. Rather than being disabilities, conditions such as autism, synesthesia, and even major depressive disorder – each of which have an enduring presence in the human...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Gareth Craze

Authors
  1. Gareth Craze
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Correspondence to Gareth Craze .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, MI, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Kevin Kniffin

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Craze, G. (2019). Psychopathology Versus Adaptation. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2307-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2307-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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