scholarly journals To transmit genes without becoming mother: An evolutionary conflict behind denial of pregnancy

Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Aim: The etiology of pregnancy denial remains poorly understood. Neither necessary nor sufficient conditions can be synthesized from the risk factors identified from psychological analyses. In accordance with clinical observations, we aim to explain denial of pregnancy from an evolutionary conflict perspective. Methods: Authors investigate evolutionary biology aspects and emphasize on the transition from solitary animal species to social species. The possibility of conflicts between primitive species-perpetuation forces and subjective social-identity forces are explored. Results: As members of a social species, human beings have a dual, contradictory character of independent organisms but interdependent people. This results in evolutionary inherited conflicts that, with respect to women's reproduction, distinguish between primitive and social-identity issues: i) to transmit genes by giving birth and ii) to become mother. Authors explain denial of pregnancy as a standby-in-tension response to a conflicting attempt to transmit genes without becoming mother. It may thus be considered as temporarily adaptive response by postponing conflict resolution. This model, based on subjective internal appraisals, is compatible with a huge diversity of causative events as expected from the specificity of each woman's life course. Conclusions: The proposed etiology is consistent with clinical observations and brings prior models into agreement. From a clinical practice perspective, the ability to explain denial of pregnancy rationally may favor understanding and acceptation by concerned women. Health professionals' information may also be facilitated and psychotherapeutic follow up may gain in efficiency with reduced recidivism. More generally, this evolutionary conflict approach provides a supplementary perspective to explore psychosomatic dysfunctions.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Aim: The etiology of pregnancy denial remains poorly understood. Neither necessary nor sufficient conditions can be synthesized from the risk factors identified from psychological analyses. In accordance with clinical observations, we aim to explain denial of pregnancy from an evolutionary conflict perspective. Methods: Authors investigate evolutionary biology aspects and emphasize on the transition from solitary animal species to social species. The possibility of conflicts between primitive species-perpetuation forces and subjective social-identity forces are explored. Results: As members of a social species, human beings have a dual, contradictory character of independent organisms but interdependent people. This results in evolutionary inherited conflicts that, with respect to women's reproduction, distinguish between primitive and social-identity issues: i) to transmit genes by giving birth and ii) to become mother. Authors explain denial of pregnancy as a standby-in-tension response to a conflicting attempt to transmit genes without becoming mother. It may thus be considered as temporarily adaptive response by postponing conflict resolution. This model, based on subjective internal appraisals, is compatible with a huge diversity of causative events as expected from the specificity of each woman's life course. Conclusions: The proposed etiology is consistent with clinical observations and brings prior models into agreement. From a clinical practice perspective, the ability to explain denial of pregnancy rationally may favor understanding and acceptation by concerned women. Health professionals' information may also be facilitated and psychotherapeutic follow up may gain in efficiency with reduced recidivism. More generally, this evolutionary conflict approach provides a supplementary perspective to explore psychosomatic dysfunctions.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Introduction: The etiology of denial of pregnancy remains poorly understood. Neither necessary nor sufficient conditions can be synthesized from the risk factors identified from psychological analyses. Furthermore, the involvement of mother-fetus interactions cannot result only from psychology causes in the mother. Although instructive, the few available evolutionary and systemic explanations proposed remain insufficient. This article synthesizes and extends previous knowledge within a systemic model which is fully compatible with clinical observations. Methods: A systemic intrapersonal conflict theory opposing primitive, evolutionary-inherited forces to psycho-sociological forces embodied across individual’s childhood is developed. Results: As members of a social species, human beings have a dual character of independent organisms and of social group members that is a source of customized intrapersonal conflicts. Authors explain denial of pregnancy as a standby-in-tension response to such an unresolved intrapersonal conflict between forand against-pregnancy forces. As long as the woman’s brain is unable to renounce one option in favor of the other, denial of pregnancy offers a standby-in-tension means to postpone conflict resolution. It may thus be considered as temporarily adaptive response. Conclusions: The proposed systemic psycho-evolutionary explanation of denial of pregnancy is fully consistent with clinical observations. It brings into agreement the previously reported models with the advantage of being more synthetic. It is thus compatible with a large diversity of causative events in accordance with the actual life story of each woman concerned. The systemic intrapersonal conflict approach developed herein provides a new means of investigating body-mind problems, especially pseudocyesis.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Introduction: The etiology of denial of pregnancy remains poorly understood. Neither necessary nor sufficient conditions can be synthesized from the risk factors identified from psychological analyses. Furthermore, the involvement of mother-fetus interactions cannot result only from psychology causes in the mother. Although instructive, the few available evolutionary and systemic explanations proposed remain insufficient. This article synthesizes and extends previous knowledge within a systemic model which is fully compatible with clinical observations. Methods: A systemic intrapersonal conflict theory opposing primitive, evolutionary-inherited forces to psycho-sociological forces embodied across individual’s childhood is developed. Results: As members of a social species, human beings have a dual character of independent organisms and of social group members that is a source of customized intrapersonal conflicts. Authors explain denial of pregnancy as a standby-in-tension response to such an unresolved intrapersonal conflict between forand against-pregnancy forces. As long as the woman’s brain is unable to renounce one option in favor of the other, denial of pregnancy offers a standby-in-tension means to postpone conflict resolution. It may thus be considered as temporarily adaptive response. Conclusions: The proposed systemic psycho-evolutionary explanation of denial of pregnancy is fully consistent with clinical observations. It brings into agreement the previously reported models with the advantage of being more synthetic. It is thus compatible with a large diversity of causative events in accordance with the actual life story of each woman concerned. The systemic intrapersonal conflict approach developed herein provides a new means of investigating body-mind problems, especially pseudocyesis.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Aim: A woman in denial of pregnancy is pregnant but remains unaware of her gravid state. In the case of a false pregnancy; the woman is not pregnant but believes she is and presents signs and symptoms of pregnancy. These syndromes correspond to opposite contradictions that were mainly explored separately. Our aim is to explain them by a common and consistent etiology. Method: We explore internal conflicts inherited from the evolutionary transition from solitary animals to social species. Results: The solitary and social characters are contradictory. They induce internal conflicts intrinsic to the human condition. At the reproduction level, those conflicts oppose primitive interests (genes transmission) to social identity ones (to become a parent). Both syndromes are described by powerful identity interests in contradiction with the actual physiological state: i) actual pregnancy but unacceptable motherhood (denial), and ii) imperative motherhood in a non-pregnant woman (false pregnancy). The physiological symptoms results from a temporarily adaptive artifice hiding the internal tension and fulfilling simultaneously (but superficially) the incompatible demands. Conclusion: The proposed model explains clinical observations satisfactorily. It complies with a huge diversity of causative events for the identity tensions involved as reported in literature. The model also elucidates the temporary adaptive character of those psychosomatic dysfunctions. To explain those syndromes in a rational and understandable way will facilitate health professional information, thus favoring the detection and follow-up of cases. The acceptation of their condition by concerned women will also be made easier.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Sandoz

Aim: A woman in denial of pregnancy is pregnant but remains unaware of her gravid state. In the case of a false pregnancy; the woman is not pregnant but believes she is and presents signs and symptoms of pregnancy. These syndromes correspond to opposite contradictions that were mainly explored separately. Our aim is to explain them by a common and consistent etiology. Method: We explore internal conflicts inherited from the evolutionary transition from solitary animals to social species. Results: The solitary and social characters are contradictory. They induce internal conflicts intrinsic to the human condition. At the reproduction level, those conflicts oppose primitive interests (genes transmission) to social identity ones (to become a parent). Both syndromes are described by powerful identity interests in contradiction with the actual physiological state: i) actual pregnancy but unacceptable motherhood (denial), and ii) imperative motherhood in a non-pregnant woman (false pregnancy). The physiological symptoms results from a temporarily adaptive artifice hiding the internal tension and fulfilling simultaneously (but superficially) the incompatible demands. Conclusion: The proposed model explains clinical observations satisfactorily. It complies with a huge diversity of causative events for the identity tensions involved as reported in literature. The model also elucidates the temporary adaptive character of those psychosomatic dysfunctions. To explain those syndromes in a rational and understandable way will facilitate health professional information, thus favoring the detection and follow-up of cases. The acceptation of their condition by concerned women will also be made easier.


Author(s):  
Michael O. Hardimon

The minimalist concept of race represents the barest characterization of the ordinary concept race possible. Minimalist races are groups of human beings distinguished by patterns of visible physical features, groups whose members are linked by a common ancestry peculiar to members of the group, and which originate from a distinctive geographic location. Minimalist races exist because there are existing human groups that satisfy the minimalist concept of race. Their existence is not precluded by the findings of population genetics. Appeal to contemporary studies in evolutionary biology and population genetics makes it possible to rebut the objection that minimalist races do not exist because they are not genetically distinct.


1896 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Abbott

The deductions that may be drawn from the results of these experiments are as follows: That the normal vital resistance of rabbits to infection by streptococcus pyogenes (erysipelatos) is markedly diminished through the influence of alcohol when given daily to the stage of acute intoxication. That a similar, though by no means so conspicuous, diminution of resistance to infection and intoxication by the bacillus coli communis also occurs in rabbits subjected to the same influences. And that, while in alcoholized rabbits inoculated in various ways with staphylococcus pyogenes aureus, individual instances of lowered resistance are observed, still it is impossible to say from these experiments that in general a marked difference is noticed between alcoholized and non-alcoholized animals as regards infection by this particular organism. It is interesting to note that the results of inoculation of alcoholized rabbits with the erysipelas coccus correspond in a way with clinical observations on human beings addicted to the excessive use of alcohol when infected by this organism. In the course of the work an effort was made to determine if, through the oxidation of alcohol in the tissues to acids of the corresponding chemical group, the increase of susceptibility could be referred to a diminution in the alkalinity of the blood as a result of the presence of such acids. The number of experiments thus far made on this point is too small to justify dogmatic statements, but from what we have gathered there is but little evidence in support of this view. Throughout these experiments, with few exceptions, it will be seen that the alcoholized animals not only showed the effects of the inoculations earlier than did the non-alcoholized rabbits, but in the case of the streptococcus inoculations the lesions produced (formation of miliary abscesses) were much more pronounced than are those that usually follow inoculation with this organism. With regard to the predisposing influence of the alcohol, one is constrained to believe that it is in most cases the result of structural alterations consequent upon its direct action on the tissues, though in a number of the animals no such alteration could be made out by macroscopic examination. I am inclined, however, to the belief, in the light of the work of Berkley and of Friedenwald, done under the direction of Prof. Welch, in the Pathological Laboratory of the Johns Hopkina University, that a closer study of the tissues of these animals would have revealed in all of them structural changes of such a nature as to indicate disturbances of important vital functions of sufficient gravity to fully account for the loss of normal resistance. The conspicuous influence of the alcohol on the gastric mucous membrane in many of these animals, with the consequent disturbance of nutrition, is undoubtedly the explanation of the marked loss in body weight that was observed in many of the animals employed in these experiments. In this light the susceptibility induced by alcohol to excess is somewhat analogous to that induced by starvation, where we see the resistance of animals to particular forms of infection very markedly diminished.


Author(s):  
Sue White ◽  
Matthew Gibson ◽  
David Wastell ◽  
Patricia Walsh

This chapter traces the origins of attachment theory and reviews its component parts, including the seminal empirical research on animals and humans. Attachment theory, popularised during the 1940s and 1950s, is a synthesis of object relations theory and ethological developmental psychology. It suggests a symbiotic dance of nature and nurture, achieved through the ministering of the mother. It shares with object relations theory an emphasis on the infant's relationship with the ‘primary object’, but these ideas are combined with those from cognitive psychology, cybernetics (control systems theory), ethology, and evolutionary biology. The theory is thus an elegant, but pragmatic mishmash, arising from attempts to make sense of empirical, clinical observations of real children experiencing distressing separations, together with aspirations to make the world a better place for everybody by understanding the medium of love. Attachment theory as used in child welfare is generally attributed to the work of John Bowlby, James Robertson, and Mary Ainsworth. The chapter then considers the controversies that attachment theory has faced, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century.


2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 335-345
Author(s):  
Erik Hedenström ◽  
Erika A. Wallin ◽  
Olle Anderbrant ◽  
Monica De Facci

A major interest in the gall-inducing thrips of Australia began with the discovery that some species have eusocial colonies. The origin of social castes remains one of the outstanding questions in evolutionary biology. The inference of the ancestral stage from study of solitary species is important to understanding the evolutionary history of semiochemicals in social species. Here we investigated two solitary species, Kladothrips nicolsoni and K. rugosus. Whole body extracts revealed that (Z)-3-dodecenoic acid, here reported for the first time in a thrips species, is the main component. (Z)-3-Dodecenoic acid and (E)-3-dodecenoic acid were synthesized in high stereoisomeric purity (>99:8%) and exposed to K. nicolsoni 2nd-instar larvae in a contact chemoreception bioassay to test for potential bioactivity. Both isomers decreased the average time spent in the treated area per entry suggesting repellence at the tested dose. (Z)-3-Dodecenoic acid may function as alarm pheromone. (E)-3-Dodecenoic acid increased also the absolute change in direction of larvae compared to an nhexane control and could potentially function as a repellent.


ruffin_darden ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 263-287
Author(s):  
Ronald K. Mitchell ◽  

This article investigates whether there is an underlying morality in the ways that human beings seek to obtain economic security within our imperfect economy, which can be illuminated through evolutionary biology research. Two research questions are the focus of the analysis: (1) What is the transaction cognitive machinery that is specialized for the entrepreneurial task of exchange-based security-seeking? and, (2) What are the moral implications of the acquisition and use of such transaction cognitions?Evolutionary biology research suggests within concepts that are more Darwin- v. Huxley-based, an underlying morality supportive of algorithm-governed economizing arising from the behaviors that are most worthy of long-term reproduction. Evolutionarily stable algorithm-enhanced security-seeking is argued to be a new view of entrepreneurship, but one that, somewhat ironically, is grounded in a primordially-based entrepreneurial morality that is at the core of economic security.


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