1,724
Views
5
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Conceptual Advances

Eliminating Genetic Reductionism from Developmental Science

 

Abstract

Genetic reductionist ideas, whether found in behavior genetics or in its methods (e.g., heritability analysis), human sociobiology, the Five Factor Theory of personality traits, or evolutionary psychology, share several egregious flaws, including problems of logic and of relying on using a counterfactual conception of genetic processes. These ideas constitute bad science and problematic bases for applications to programs and policies. I discuss the use of theories and methods derived from the relational development systems (RDS) metatheory as a scientifically rigorous means to understand the mutually influential relations between genes and the multiple levels of their context and to derive applications of developmental science that may enhance individual development and social justice. I advocate for developmental science organizations to collaborate in creating a consensus statement about the failures of genetic reductionism and its applications, and about the research and applied usefulness of models framed by RDS metatheory.

Additional information

Funding

The writing of this article was supported in part by grants from the John Templeton Foundation.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.