Title: Evolutionary Theory of Motivation | Education, Society, & the K-12 Learner
Headings: 
Evolutionary Theory of Motivation
According to evolutionary psychology, individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors that maximize their genetic fitness.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
KEY POINTS
TERMS
FULL TEXT
Evolutionary Psychology
Genetic Fitness
Evolutionary Perspective on Motivation
Optimization Theory

Content: Evolutionary Psychology
Evolutionary psychology suggests that individuals are motivated to engage in behaviors that maximize their genetic fitness. Genetic Fitness
All animals, including humans, need to act in ways that will improve their reproductive success. This results in social processes that maximize individuals’ genetic fitness, or ability to pass their genes to the next generation. According to evolutionary theory, those who are the most fit are the most likely to survive, and eventually the population evolves in such a way that their traits manifest themselves across the population. Consider the following example: in a population’s gene pool, a genotype exists for an infant that is unattached from its mother—it will crawl away and does not have any “love” or other significant attachment to its mother. Over time, mutations accumulate and another genotype develops that causes infants to become uncomfortable and cry when their mothers leave them. Naturally, the crying infant who signals distress will be more protected from the elements and other predatory environmental forces than the unattached infant. Thus, the “attached” infant has a higher chance of survival. Over many generations, more “attached” infants will survive to mate and pass on their gene for attachment.