Evolution of Creating Difficulties for Others

Paper Presented at the Conference of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; June 2-5, 2016

5 Pages Posted: 11 Jun 2016

See all articles by Alexander N. Poddiakov

Alexander N. Poddiakov

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow)

Date Written: June 9, 2016

Abstract

Evolutionary roots of different types of human activities in creating difficulties and problems for others are discussed. A hypothesis concerning the following evolutionary stages of creating destructive, constructive and diagnosing difficulties is presented: (1) inhibition (can be executed by cell colonies); (2) trial attacks and aggressive exploratory of fish, insects, etc.; armed reconnaissance in human military activities; (3) creating constructive difficulties (in predators’ teaching their youngsters, human teaching math, etc.); (4) creating diagnosing difficulties as helping behavior (stress tests in medical diagnosis, educational and psychological tests, etc.); (5) creating meta-difficulties (difficulties for creating difficulties) like designing instructional problems to teach others to create destructive, constructive and diagnosing difficulties. A developmental trend of creating difficulties to increase their unpredictability is discussed.

Keywords: evolutionary psychology, creating difficulties, complicology

Suggested Citation

Poddiakov, Alexander N., Evolution of Creating Difficulties for Others (June 9, 2016). Paper Presented at the Conference of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; June 2-5, 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2792957

Alexander N. Poddiakov (Contact Author)

National Research University Higher School of Economics (Moscow) ( email )

Myasnitskaya street, 20
Moscow, Moscow 119017
Russia

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