Evolutionary biology and personality psychology: Toward a conception of human nature and individual differences.

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Abstract
Although personality psychology sub- sumes the study of both individual differences and species-typical characteristics, the field has not yet resolved several key concerns: (a) what are the most important species-typical characteristics; (b) what are the most important ways in which individuals differ; and (c) how can species-typical characteristics and individual differences be reconciled within a general theory of personality. Evolutionary biology provides one set of criteria for identifying these characteristics and for designating relative importance among them. Genotypic universality, automaticity, and adaptation are examined as potential criteria for identifying important species-typical characteris- tics. Heritability, inclusive fitness, sexual selection, and assortative mating are evaluated as criteria for designating important individual differences. Sug- gestions are made for resolving some of the conceptual and operational difficulties entailed by implementing these criteria. It is argued that, although substantial problems remain, evolutionary biology can provide one means for identifying relations between individual differences and species-typical characteristics. Evolutionary biology and personality psychology, broadly conceived, share several common concerns. Both fields seek to identify enduring organismic characteristics and to locate their origins and func- tional significance in environments. Both fields deal with past and present adaptation. And both grant a central role to individual variation, which is the focus of most personality research and the sine qua non of evolution. These shared concerns suggest intriguing potential connections. This article attempts to offer directions for an integrative effort, while identifying some of the difficulties of this endeavor. The first section of the article identifies several key issues in personality psychology, with particular attention given to the separation between approaches emphasizing species-typical tendencies and those focusing on systematic variation around those ten- dencies. The second section identifies themes in evolutionary biology that parallel those in personality psychology, typological and population approaches, and highlights some of the alternative aims, assump- tions, methods, and limitations of each. The third section outlines three major directions for linking evolutionary biology and personality psychology. The final section attempts to identify some of the most promising programs for future research. Some Key Concerns in Personality Psychology

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