Evolutionary psychology and sociology

Sebastian Schnettler

Chapter 14 in Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, 2026, pp 242-256 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: In this entry, I discuss how evolutionary psychology has been integrated into sociology. As I will show, this discussion requires a broader perspective on the history of biosocial and evolutionary work in sociology, encompassing both critical stances towards such approaches within the discipline and attempts to constructively adopt concepts from fields in the life sciences. Today, sociological engagement with biological and evolutionary themes is multifaceted (Schnettler & Huinink, 2024a), and references to evolutionary psychology are just one of several ways sociologists incorporate these perspectives. Here, I argue that evolutionary psychology could provide one route towards reconciling and bridging the seemingly insurmountable gap between an ultimate evolutionary perspective and a proximate social science perspective. Of particular promise in this regard is the discussion within sociology about integrating the concept of psychological mechanisms in evolutionary psychology with established sociological theories of action (cf. Tutić, 2024).

Keywords: Consilience; Biosociology; Evolutionary Sociology; Dual Process Theory; Interdisciplinarity; Interdisciplinary Behavioural Science (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332496
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