ABSTRACT
Evolutionary psychology seeks to synthesize fundamental principles of evolutionary biology with modern psychological theories, leading to testable hypotheses about the design of the human mind. This synthesis has proved useful in guiding the discovery of previously unknown phenomena, generating new predictions not produced by prior psychological models, and providing cogent theories about entire domains of functioning such as mating, parenting, kinship, cooperation, and aggression (Buss, 2004; Pinker, 2002). Self-esteem—a domain of exceptional importance—has recently come under the theoretical lens of evolutionary psychology (Barkow, 1989; Kirkpatrick & Ellis, 2001, this volume; Kirkpatrick, Waugh, Valencia, & Webster, 2002; Leary & Downs, 1995).
