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Differential susceptibility to the environment: an evolutionary--neurodevelopmental theory
Bruce J Ellis1, W Thomas Boyce, Jay Belsky
1John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Arizona, McClelland Park, 650 North Park Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85721-0078, USA. bjellis@email.arizona.edu
Development and Psychopathology
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Some individuals are more sensitive to environmental influences, both negative and positive. This differential susceptibility paradigm offers a new framework for understanding development and health across the lifespan.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary psychology
- Developmental science
- Health psychology
Background:
- Biological sensitivity to context theory (BSCT) and differential susceptibility theory (DST) propose individual differences in susceptibility to environmental conditions.
- These models challenge the traditional diathesis-stress/dual-risk perspective on vulnerability and environmental risk.
- Emerging data from evolutionary, developmental, and health sciences support a paradigm shift in understanding person-environment interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advance an evolutionary-neurodevelopmental theory of neurobiological susceptibility to environmental influences.
- To explore neurogenomic and endophenotypic mechanisms underlying differential susceptibility.
- To evaluate the evolutionary bases and implications of BSCT and DST.
Main Methods:
- Review of extant evolutionary models (BSCT, DST) and challenges to diathesis-stress/dual-risk models.
- Theoretical advancement of an evolutionary-neurodevelopmental framework.
- Synthesis of empirical research on differential susceptibility and its evolutionary underpinnings.
Main Results:
- Differential susceptibility offers a more nuanced understanding of how individuals respond to environmental conditions.
- Neurobiological susceptibility plays a key role in mediating environmental effects on adaptation, development, and health.
- The paradigm has significant implications for research, social programming, and understanding individual differences.
Conclusions:
- The differential susceptibility paradigm necessitates a reconceptualization of person-environment interactions in development.
- Understanding neurobiological susceptibility is crucial for explaining differential responses to environmental factors.
- This framework has broad implications for diverse fields, including child and adult development, health, and social policy.
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