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Sex differences in OCD symptomatology: an evolutionary perspective

Author(s): Gad Saad

Some evolutionists have construed obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as the over-activation of warning systems in areas of evolutionary import. Using evolutionary theorizing, it is posited here that sex differences in the instantiation of specific obsessio...

Article GUID: 16828981

Suicide triggers as sex-specific threats in domains of evolutionary import: negative correlation between global male-to-female suicide ratios and average per capita gross national income

Author(s): Gad Saad

From an evolutionary perspective, suicide is a paradoxical phenomenon given its fatal consequences on one's reproductive fitness. That fact notwithstanding, evolutionists have typically used kin and group selection arguments in proposing that suicide mi...

Article GUID: 17011714

Munchausen by proxy: the dark side of parental investment theory?

Author(s): Gad Saad

The parental investment hypothesis provides a parsimonious explanation for a wide range of sexually dimorphic traits and behaviors across countless species. In the human context, the hypothesis posits that in light of the differentially greater parental inv...

Article GUID: 20627598

The consuming instinct. What Darwinian consumption reveals about human nature

Author(s): Gad Saad

Editor's note: In this engaging talk given last February on a particularly cold and blustery day at Texas Tech University, Professor Gad Saad of Concordia University discusses his work in the area of evolutionary consumption. In making the case for unde...

Article GUID: 24047091

The Epistemology of Evolutionary Psychology Offers a Rapprochement to Cultural Psychology

Author(s): Gad Saad

Many detractors of evolutionary psychology (EP) presume that adaptive arguments are nothing more than whimsical and unfalsifiable just-so stories. The reality though is that the epistemology of EP is precisely the opposite of this antiquated canard in that ...

Article GUID: 33224071


Title:Munchausen by proxy: the dark side of parental investment theory?
Authors:Gad Saad
Link:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20627598/
DOI:10.1016/j.mehy.2010.04.029
Category:
PMID:20627598
Dept Affiliation: JMSB
1 Concordia University, John Molson School of Business, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. gadsaad@jmsb.concordia.ca

Description:

The parental investment hypothesis provides a parsimonious explanation for a wide range of sexually dimorphic traits and behaviors across countless species. In the human context, the hypothesis posits that in light of the differentially greater parental investment that human females provide to their offspring, they should be much more vested in the wellbeing of their children. Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) occurs when a caregiver feigns or causes a medical condition in a dependent (typically a child). In the great majority of cases, the biological mother is the perpetrator, which is thus deeply surprising from an evolutionary perspective. I propose that for a small sample of women (e.g., those suffering from specific personality disorders and who do not possess the necessary support from their husbands/partners), the parental investment hypothesis is usurped or subverted in the service of their narcissistic need for attention (especially from high-status male physicians). Hence, in the same way that infanticide can be explained from a Darwinian perspective (despite it being at first glance incongruent with kin selection theory), MSbP appears to be equally amenable to an evolutionary analysis. One can test the hypothesis by demonstrating that the sex-specificity of the disorder holds true irrespective of cultural setting and epoch. Furthermore, one can look at single-parental families (as a means of controlling for the otherwise differential access to children in dual-parent homes) to show that within this controlled environment, mothers will remain the greater perpetrators of MSbP.