基本説明
An application of evolutionary biology to the study of mental illness.
Full Description
What are the origins of human psychopathology? Is mental illness a relatively recent phenomenon, or has it been with us throughout evolution?
In Origins of Psychopathology, Horacio Fárega Jr. employs principles of evolutionary biology to better understand the significance of mental illness. He explores whether what psychiatry has categorized as mental disorders could have existed during earlier phases of human evolution. Fábrega approaches the prominent features of mental disorders as adaptive responses to the environment and life's circumstances, which in turn can only be understood in the context of our evolutionary past. Taking his cue from theoretical issues raised by research into primate behavior and early hominid evolution, he poses the question: What, if any, aspects of mental illness are rooted in our evolution? Does mental illness occur in primates and other animals, and if so, what does this tell us about mental illness in human evolution? How has mental illness played an adaptive role? How has the development of language and higher cognitive functions affected characteristics of psychopathology? Fábrega synthesizes insights from both the clinical and the evolutionary points of view. This facet of psychopathology, which involves its origins and manifestations viewed across the expanse of human evolution, has, until now, been largely neglected in psychiatric education, theory, and practice.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part I. Psychiatry and Evolutionary Biology
Chapter 1. Evolution and the Study of Psychopathology
Chapter 2. Evolutionary Theory Applied to Psychopathology and Psychiatry
Chapter 3. Clinical and Evolutionary Images of Psychopathology
Chapter 4. Accounting for the Universality of Psychopathology
Chapter 5. An Active Role for Psychopathology in Evolution
Chapter 6. On the Limits of an Evolutionary Conception of Psychopathology
Part II. Psychopathology during Human Biological Evolution
Chapter 7. Searching for Psychopathology in Nonhuman Primates
Chapter 8. Responses to Psychopathology in Nonhuman Primates
Chapter 9. The Setting of Psychopathology during Evolution
Chapter 10. The Content of Psychopathology during Evolution
Chapter 11. The Impact of Meaning Systems on Psychopathology
Chapter 12. Dissociation, Psychopathology, and Evolution
Chapter 13. Psychopathology in Archaic Human Societies
Part III. Recapitulation and Synthesis
Chapter 14. Phases of the Biological Evolution of Psychopathology
Afterword: Visualizing the Cultural Evolution of Psychopathology
References
Index