Deck 20: Case Studies 37-38

Question 1

Use the evolutionary psychology perspective to examine Dylan's behaviors by answering the following questions.
How could evolutionary psychology explain Dylan's sexual interest in women who all look the same, i.e., blond, athletic, tanned, and so forth.

Answer 1

Evolutionary psychologists might suggest that these physical characteristics indicate good health and, according to this perspective, we all want to select mates who are healthy so that our offspring are healthy and likely to survive, thereby passing on our genes.

Question 2

Why does Jeremy control the family finances and not allow Latisha access to any information on them, according to evolutionary psychology?

Answer 2

Jeremy controls the family finances in order to make Latisha dependent on him.This makes it less likely that she will leave and/or cuckold him.Latisha potentially leaving Jeremy is an issue because she is a valuable potential reproductive resource.

Question 3

Why does Dylan not use birth control, according to evolutionary psychology?

Answer 3

Dylan doesn't use birth control because, according to evolutionary psychology, we are all driven to pass on our genes.

Question 4

Use the evolutionary psychology perspective to examine Latisha's and Jeremy's behaviors by answering the following questions.
According to evolutionary psychology why does Latisha want to have children? Why does Jeremy?

Question 5

Which of Horney's neurotic trends does Jeremy display? How does the focus of Horney's theory compare with that of evolutionary psychology?

Question 6

What are some problems with the evolutionary psychology explanations noted here?

Question 7

How does evolutionary psychology explain Jeremy's jealousy?

Question 8

Explain why Latisha chose Jeremy as a spouse, according to evolutionary psychology?

Question 9

Use the evolutionary psychology perspective to examine Dylan's behaviors by answering the following questions.
How could evolutionary psychology explain Dylan's promiscuity?

Question 10

Use Freud's theory to explain Dylan's promiscuity.How does the focus of Freud's theory differ from that of evolutionary psychology?

Question 11

How could behaviorism explain Jeremy's violent behavior toward Latisha? What motivates behavior according to behaviorists? According to evolutionary psychologists? How does behavioral motivation compare in these two theories?

Question 12

Why is Dylan uninterested in raising his own children, according to evolutionary psychology?

Question 13

How does evolutionary psychology explain Jeremy's insults toward Latisha?

Question 14

According to Fromm's theory, which need would be met for Jeremy and Latisha by having a baby? How does this concept of fulfilling a need differ from what evolutionary psychologists would suggest as a reason for wanting to have children?

Question 15

Why did all the women in the case study want to marry Dylan, according to evolutionary psychology?

Question 16

6How does evolutionary psychology explain Jeremy beating his wife?

Question 17

How could Erikson's concepts of isolation versus intimacy apply to Dylan's relationships with women? How do the motivations for behavior in evolutionary psychology and in Erikson's theory compare?

Question 18

How could evolutionary psychology explain why Dylan's first dates typically include a tennis match?