The Evolutionary Mechanisms of Neurotic Behavior

The authors present evidence that many of the maladaptive behavior patterns labeled as neurotic result from man's retention of archaic responses. This retention is the end product of man's evolutionary history, which has produced a species that, in contrast to all others, requires a long period of immaturity to give the brain time for growth. Man`s slow developmental process has allowed his brain the plasticity to retain the potential for responses developed along the whole evolutionary line. Actuated by such factors as genetic disposition, training, and environmental conditions, these responses can take the form of maladaptive behavior patterns.