The Evolutionary Psychopathology of Human Pair-Bonding

Evolutionary psychiatry views biological systems as evolved functional adaptations shaped by selection to promote survival and reproductive success (Darwinian fitness). However, even functional systems can malfunction under certain conditions resulting in pathological and psychopathological states. We argue that the human mating system based on pair-bonding and biparental investment is a fundamental human, species-typical characteristic that is supported by a bundle of evolved psychological adaptations. Here we describe a framework for understanding the biological roots of a subsection of recognised mental disorders as psychopathologies of the Human Mating System. We propose that this framework illuminates why such psychopathologies exist and why they present in the way they do. The framework also explains why such disorders are not found in species with alternative mating systems including those phylogenetically close to Homo sapiens. We argue that such functional, phylogenetic approaches can serve as a template for the understanding of range of other psychopathologies.