EVOLUTION, CULTURE, AND THE 5-FACTOR MODEL

Following a review of evolutionary approaches to the five-factor model (FFM), I develop a synthetic perspective that incorporates three leve ls of analysis: personality systems as universal psychological mechani sms, systematic group (i.e., gender, birth order, age, ethnic) differe nces that can be illuminated by evolutionary theory, and individual di fferences. At the level of universal mechanisms, personality systems a re species-typical systems with adaptive functions in the human enviro nment of evolutionary adaptedness. At the level of group differences, the evolutionary theory of sex, parent-offspring conflict theory, and life history are used to analyze sex, age, and ethnic differences in p ersonality systems. At the level of individual differences, variation in personality consists of a range of viable evolutionary strategies f or humans. Humans evaluate and act on the genetic and phenotypic diver sity represented by this range of viable strategies to solve adaptive problems. Evolutionary perspectives on cross-cultural variation are no ted and illustrated.