Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric condition that arises following exposure to traumatic events such as natural disasters, forced displacement, or severe accidents. It significantly impairs individuals' ability to cope with daily activities and disrupts their emotional and psychological equilibrium.
Symptoms and Behavioral Manifestations
A spectrum of distressing symptoms characterizes PTSD. Recurrent flashbacks, where individuals involuntarily relive traumatic events, are a...

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle

Stress is a multifaceted response to events perceived as challenging or threatening, highlighting physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Physically, stress can lead to fatigue, sleep disruptions, and various health issues such as frequent colds, chest pains, and nausea. Emotionally, it can manifest as anxiety, depression, irritability, and anger triggered by both minor and major life events. Cognitively, it may result in difficulty in concentration, memory, and...

Preparedness and Phobias

Preparedness and Phobias

Human fear responses to certain stimuli, such as darkness, heights, deep water, and blood, can often arise despite the absence of direct negative experiences. This phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary psychology, which posits that humans have developed a predisposition to fear stimuli that historically posed significant survival threats. This predisposition, known as preparedness, suggests that early humans who developed a fear of potentially dangerous entities, such as venomous snakes and...

Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological Responses to Stress

Psychological responses to stress encompass the various cognitive and emotional reactions individuals experience when faced with challenging or threatening situations, such as a job loss. Prolonged exposure to stressors can disturb emotional balance, increasing negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and sadness) and diminishing positive emotions (e.g., joy and satisfaction). These persistent emotional shifts are associated with an increased risk of both physical illness and mental health issues, such...

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The horror of DSM-IV.

Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists·2011

Same author

PTSD: in defence of stoicism.

Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists·2010

Same author

Evolution and psychiatry.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2009

Same author

DSM-IV cure for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists·2008

Same author

Post-traumatic stress disorder's future.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science·2008

Same author

Traumatic entrapment, appeasement and complex post-traumatic stress disorder: evolutionary perspectives of hostage reactions, domestic abuse and the Stockholm syndrome.

The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry·2007

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Published on: December 15, 2023

Post-traumatic stress disorder: evolutionary perspectives.

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Queensland, Noosa Heads, Qld 4567, Australia. cantor98@powerup.com.au

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

|December 17, 2009

Summary

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves heightened defense mechanisms rooted in evolutionary survival behaviors. Understanding these conserved mammalian defenses offers new insights into PTSD

More Related Videos

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published on: October 13, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Social Threat-Safety Test Uncovers Psychosocial Stress-Related Phenotypes

Published on: December 15, 2023

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning, a Robust Rodent Model of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Published on: October 13, 2018

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Neuroscience
Ethology

Background:

Fear is central to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Defensive behaviors, conserved across mammals, are key to survival.
Evolutionary pressures from predation and conspecifics shaped these defenses.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a model of PTSD as a disorder of heightened defense.
To integrate ethological insights into PTSD research.
To clarify PTSD phenomena by examining defense origins and stages.

Main Methods:

Review of human research on PTSD.
Analysis of laboratory and wild animal observations.
Comparison of proposed defense model with DSM-IV criteria.

Main Results:

PTSD aligns with a model of heightened defense involving six key strategies.
Defense mechanisms include avoidance, immobility, withdrawal, aggression, appeasement, and tonic immobility.
Predation, environmental, and conspecific pressures influence defense strategies.

Conclusions:

Recognizing diverse defense origins enhances PTSD definition.
Individual perceptual factors and neuronal plasticity influence PTSD development.
Further research into defense recalibration and plasticity is warranted.