Nesse R
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48106-1248, USA.
Br J Med Psychol. 1998 Dec;71(4):397-415. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1998.tb01000.x.
Understanding emotional disorders requires understanding the evolutionary origins and functions of normal emotions. They are special states, shaped by natural selection to adjust various aspects of the organism in ways that have tended to give a selective advantage in the face of the adaptive challenges characteristic of a particular kind of situation. They are designed to maximize reproductive success, not happiness. Negative emotions such as anxiety and low mood are not disorders, but, like the capacity for pain, evolved defences. Excessive anxiety or low mood is abnormal, but we will not have confidence about what is excessive until we understand their functions better than we do. Emotional disorders arise often from social emotions because of the conflicts inherent in social life, and because of the strategic advantages of demonstrating commitments to follow through on threats and promises. An evolutionary understanding of individuals in terms of their relationship strategies and the social emotions offers great promise for psychotherapists.
理解情绪障碍需要理解正常情绪的进化起源和功能。情绪是特殊的状态，由自然选择塑造，以调整生物体的各个方面，使其在面对特定情况所特有的适应性挑战时往往具有选择优势。它们的设计目的是使生殖成功率最大化，而非幸福最大化。焦虑和情绪低落等负面情绪并非疾病，而是像疼痛能力一样，是进化而来的防御机制。过度焦虑或情绪低落是不正常的，但在我们比现在更好地理解它们的功能之前，我们无法确定何为过度。情绪障碍常常源于社会情绪，这是由于社会生活中固有的冲突，以及展示履行威胁和承诺的决心所具有的策略优势。从个体的关系策略和社会情绪角度进行进化理解，为心理治疗师带来了巨大的希望。
