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The evolutionary perspective has influenced many subfields of psychology and related social sciences in the last three decades. However, developmental psychology has remained largely immune to evolutionary thinking. What does evolutionary thinking have to offer developmental psychology and the study of child development? This book invites some of the leading figures in evolutionary developmental psychology to discuss cutting-edge research and its significance in related fields. By laying out the utility and importance of evolutionary thinking in developmental science, each chapter shows how the evolutionary perspective both opens new avenues of research by posing novel questions and providing insightful answers to age-old questions and debates. In the process, their overviews pay particular attention to the theoretical and empirical contributions of Jay Belsky, a pioneering developmental psychologist who has paved the way forward for the field. A short tribute and biography follow the chapters to pay homage to his work.

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This commentary reflects on Jang and Choi’s (this volume) chapter summarizing the extent work on behavior and molecular genetic studies of personality disorder (PD). The authors argue that more work needs to be done on refining the PD phenotype, as most work in genetics to date has utilized categorical definitions of PD, even though clinical psychology generally and the field of PDs specifically is moving resolutely toward a dimensional conceptualization (as represented in the alternative model of PDs in the DSM-5). They also argue that the real benefit of both quantitative and measured gene approaches to studying PDs might not be the elucidation of more precise heritability estimates or even the identification of specific genes, but the contribution of environmental influences to maladaptive personality traits.

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Genes, Environments, and Differential Susceptibility

2b - Highlighting the Value of Dimensional Conceptualizations and Environmental Influences: Commentary on Issues and New Directions in Personality Disorder Genetics

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2 results

Genes, Environments, and Differential Susceptibility

2b - Highlighting the Value of Dimensional Conceptualizations and Environmental Influences: Commentary on Issues and New Directions in Personality Disorder Genetics

Summary