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I have always been interested in evolution, probably due to my Innate Inability to accept what people say on “face value”. I believe (as I have taught my children) to question anything and everything which would explain my passion and interest in the evolution of psychology. Evolutionary psychologists use various methods to study how evolution affects psychology.
Deductive and comparative methods are the two most commonly used methods because they allow psychologists to study something that has changed or will change over a certain period of time; although, he experimental method is also becoming quite popular in the field of evolutionary psychology. Traits that assist in the survival of a species are passed on from generation to generation whereas traits that deter the survival of a species slowly diminish throughout the generations. This process helps ensure the survival ofa species over time. (Eagly, 2004, p. 65-86).
Science is a crucial component and approach to studying Psychology as the Interest Is In revealing laws that will govern human behavior. Therefore, conclusions must be Justified and supported as these decisions will make their way into the lives of everyone. Contrarily, in everyday life ones’ opinion is not likely to result in new speed limits, drug dosages, policies or other conditions that science does. Therefore, the opinion of researches Is more important as Psychology must employ a method of investigations and observations that are as valid as possible.
Science has allowed society to grow and flourish in exploring, dealing and coping with numerous human behaviors, thoughts and Internal functions. Psychology as a science has become a necessity In society today without it we would still see the world as flat. I have been aware for many years bout the differences of males and females physical characteristics and how adaptation has affected where we have been, where we are, and where we are going but the assigned reading heightened my awareness of attracuon through the eyes of evolution.
The authors discuss how males are attracted to females who are In their mid-20’s, in physically fit-shape, and attractive which is seen universally with no age limits. When a person relates this tothe understanding of reproduction it clearly makes sense that men would seek out a female who is fertile tor the purpose ot “parental Investment”. (Eagly, 2004, p. 80-81). The assigned reading of “As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As A Girl”, has evoked emotions deep within that I was not aware existed. Ron and Janet Reimer faced the biggest decision of their lives after a routine circumcision for their twin sons went horribly wrong.
While Bruce’s brother Brian was left with a fully functioning pen’s, Bruce was the first twin to undergo the procedure and was left with a charred penis after the machine malfunctioned. After being unsatisfied by the efforts of local and regional doctors, the distraught parents sought help from Dr. Money after watching him as a guest on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s popular current affairs program This Hour Has Seven Days” (Colapinto 2000, p_18)_ Money quelled their fears and invited them to his research facility at John Hopkins in Baltimore where he used Bruce and Brian as the test subjects for his famous “John/Joan” case.
Sadly to Money and his followers, his tOf2 feminine things” was disproved upon the discovery that “Brenda” had abandoned her feminine gender as a teen and even renamed herself “David” (Colapinto 2000, p. 70). It would be hard to not have heard of the name Dr. John Money if one was in the social r medical field, as his name is synonymous with “gender identity’ and the “sexual revolution”. Money was the first to coin the term “gender identity’ and was dubbed “agent provocateur of the sexual revolution” in a 1975 issue of the New York Times (Colapinto 2000, p. 8). With Moneys far reaching reputation as a leading authority on gender reassignment after his famous “John/Joan” twins case, his claims were “handed down and accepted as gospel by some”, according to pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Mel Grumbach (Colapinto 2000, p. 76). Money was virtually unquestioned and unchallenged by all but one in the same field, a man by the name f Dr. Milton Diamond.
While Money had a reputation as a great scientist he also had the reputation of an intimidating researcher with a sizable ego, as can be noted when he punched fellow researcher Diamond in the face during a conversation in which Diamond disagreed with Moneys core assertion that children “formed a conception of themselves as masculine or feminine solely through rearingm (Colapinto 2000, p. 78, 32). This rage is also noted through the accounts retold by Reimer and his brother in which they were screamed at and told by Money to “remove their clothes and inspect each other’s genitals” when they defied him Colapinto 2000, p. 6). Moneys ego may have interfered with his research, such as convincing his uninformed parents into removing Bruce’s testes in one of many surgeries as an infant, trying to coerce Brenda into having vaginal surgery, and omitting findings from school reports regarding her poor school functioning. I believe that all of this was subconsciously done by Dr. Money, but nevertheless his personal bias helped generate a more successful depiction of Brenda’s gender reassignment; helping prove his overall theory on “the power of nurture over nature” (Colapinto 2000, p. 70).
His theory placed sole emphasis on “gender-role ideology’. While Reimer officially readopted his “male gender identity’ as a teenager, he has rejected his female roles as early as first grade. David Reimer is a man that overcame nurture to reveal his true nature, but not without suffering tremendously. Reimer was treated worse than a person born with male and female sex organs because he was assigned a gender identity that was opposite his known biological sex. At least with intersex patients their true sex is not able to be determined, this leaves a wider and more guilt-free option to choose either sex equally.