Feminine and masculine in ethology, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology: Review of some concepts

Abstract

This paper intends to introduce the readers of psychology to some important concepts about male and female specificities presented in seminal works of human ethology, sociobiology and evolutionary psychology. The classical critiques of social sciences on the biological determinism of these disciplines do not resonate in current biological theories about behavior. These later emphasize the interaction between genetic, ecological and socio­?cultural factors, as well as the statistical nature of empirical observations. Nevertheless, the conclusion stresses the risk that these disciplines may reduce the distance between the ultimate causes and the proximate factors of motivation, thus avoiding the innovative effects of current socialization processes.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v27i2.421