The Evolution of the Brain and Mind
The organization and complexity of the human brain reflect millions of years of evolutionary adaptation in response to the ever-changing mandates of survival. Individual cells can be combined to create complex organs, separate organisms, such as ants, whales, and humans, can be combined into superorganisms called armies, pods, and tribes. Ancient structures can be conserved, modified, and adapted for new purposes. The strategies of connection and attunement seen among neurons can be utilized once again in the meeting of parents and children, romantic partners, and groups of strangers. The motivational source of all this activity is thought to be contained within our selfish genes by geneticists, an expression of the will of god by theists, and simply accepted as “the way” by Taoists.
“Biology is a science. Evolution is a theory that makes biology unique. ”
In recent years, Darwinian principles of diversity, adaptation, and natural selection have been applied to the mind and human behavior under the general heading of evolutionary psychology. The basic premise is that how we sense, comprehend, and move though the world has been shaped to optimize survival. The central implication of this concept is that we don’t experience the world as it is, but rather through the prisms of multiple transformations that allow us to successfully navigate our particular physical and social habitats. This suggests that the bandwidths of light we are able to see, the ways in which ways our senses can be tricked, the distorted attributions we make, even the human tendency to develop and hold on to false beliefs, are thought to hold (or have held), some survival value at some point during evolution.
While the study of evolution may at first appear to have little do with psychotherapy, they are, in fact, inextricably interwoven. Many of the problems for which our clients seek therapy have their foundation in our deep evolutionary history. Much of the irrationality, and even the cruelty, which characterizes human thought and behavior, may have once been essential for our survival. Our deep evolutionary history continues to manifest in our perceptual biases, our vulnerability to shame, the ubiquity of prejudice, and our endless wars. The evolution, development, and functions of the many neural systems within our brains have been shaped by these adaptational processes long before the emergence of us primates. At a practical level, I have found that an understanding of our deep evolutionary history can inform symptom expression, the nature of clinical interactions, as well as the choice of treatment.
There are many examples of this practical application: Knowing that heightened amygdala activation inhibits the cortical networks involved in executive functioning, helps us understand the importance of initially developing a positive quality therapeutic relationship. It is the emotional quality of this relationship that serves to regulate the amygdala and make the cortical executive systems available to do the work of therapy. Knowing that early stress can damage the hippocampus and result in short-term memory deficits makes it clear that clients with this kind of history may require a slower pace and memory prosthetics (like recordings and written notes) in order to benefit from treatment. Children and adults who have experienced critical and hostile environments during development, may suffer from deficits in receptive and expressive language that will impact their relationship with a therapist and others in their lives. All of these brain-behavior relationships are guided by the evolutionary forces which have shaped our brains and minds. Let’s start begin with a shared understanding of the meaning and processes of evolution
What is Evolution?
Darwinian evolution first depends on having an array of characteristics within a population, which can be anything from the length of a beak, to the ability to store fat, to how fast you can climb a tree. These differences can result from naturally existing differences, genetic mutation, or the genetic recombination which occur through sexual reproduction. As aspects of the environment (topography, food availability, temperature, etc.) change, certain traits will be more able to adapt to the emerging situation. The ability to adapt to and survive in the new environment is referred to as fitness. This is where the phrase “survival of the fittest” comes from.
“The theory of evolution by cumulative natural selection is the only theory we know that is in principle capable of explaining the existence of organized complexity.
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An oft cited example of natural selection occurred in the peppered moths that had a balance of both light and dark variants in London prior to the industrial revolution. With the rise of factories and their resultant pollutants, the previously light shaded buildings were turned dark, making it more difficult for predators to spot the darker moths while increasing the contrast and visibility of the lighter ones. The increased “fitness” of the darker variety in this newly modified environment, led to a near extinction of the lighter variant over just a few generations. The diversity of shading within the moths allowed this kind of natural selection to occur. The fitness was related to the quality of the camouflage their coloring provided as protection from predation. Evolutionary change resulted from the selection amongst diverse characteristics more favorable (or a better fit) to survive within a specific environment.
As can be seen in this example, evolution is about survival through continued adaptation and not about progress or increases in quality. The theory of evolution has no final destination, it is a local process related to the adaptation of species with specific habitats. Unfortunately, since its articulation, evolutionary theory has been hijacked by authoritarian dictators, imperialistic governments, racists, eugenicists, and many scientists to clothe their prejudices in a seemingly empirical narrative. In fact, when the phrase “survival of the fittest,” was first used by Herbert Spencer in his Principles of Biology (1864), he describes it as “the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life.” Five years later, when Darwin first introduced Spencer’s term in the 5th edition of the Origin of the Species, its intended meaning was specifically clarified to mean “better designed for an immediate, local environment.”
The theory of natural selection is completely materialistic - an ongoing process of adaptation to a changing local environment over multiple generations. In the broad cultural context of the enlightenment, Judeo-Christian values, and the industrial and technical revolutions, it is natural for us to conflate process with progress; the belief that everything is headed toward perfection, utopia, or heaven. There is no sentimental mother nature when it comes to natural selection. It reveals a world of struggle, pain, death, and the extinction of most of the species that have ever come into being. It unveils the harsh realities of life from which religion, civilization, and technology strive to protect us.
Many consider evolution to be the most significant theory in all of science. The elegance of the theory relies on the fact that it relies on a few basic principles, while explaining a vast array of phenomena in the biological sciences. At the same time, evolution is perhaps the most misunderstood and hotly contested theory since Copernicus. Like his heliocentric model of the solar system, evolution contradicts Western religious dogma, undermined the power of the church, and decimated man’s sense of uniqueness. Evolution displaced the intelligent design of an omnipotent creator, with a rational yet directionless explanation of the diversity of life. The idea that we are the mere descendants of apes, fish, and plants was a big letdown for those believing that man was made in god’s image.