1. Emerging Biosocial Perspectives Troost, K. M., & Filsinger, E. (1993). Emerging biosocial perspectives in the family. In P. G. Boss, W. J. Doherty, R. LaRossa, W. R. Schumm, & S. K. Steinmetz (Eds.), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach (pp. 677-710) New York: Plenum Press.

2. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Introduction  Biosocial Domain: the connection between the biological and the social as  independent causal agents, and  as intertwined elements of human evolution and proximate life.  Role of the Family:  Evolutionary or Historical Relevance (a/k/a ultimate cause): sexual and cooperative bond results in continuation of society.  Proximate Cause: è families mediate the interplay of biological and social factors; è biological and social factors contribute to family phenomena.

3. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Core Assumptions  Humans have an evolutionary origin.  The family has played an important role in human evolution. Van de Berghe (1988) suggests that sociality can be reduced to three principles:  Nepotism: organisms invest in their own kin.  Reciprocity: exchange of favors.  Coercion: the act of being forced to act against one’s interests.  The evolutionary origin of humans has an influence upon families today.  Proximate biology has an influence on the family, and the family has an influence on primate biology and the health of its members.  Genetic factors (e.g., predisposition to disease) influence family life.  Families influence the health of members because they are health care providers.

4. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Core Assumptions (cont.)  Biosocial influences are both biological and social in character.  The biosocial domain is concerned with three factors: the biological, biosocial, and social.  Human biological and biosocial variables do not determine human conduct but pose limitations and constraints as well as possibilities and opportunities for families.  A biosocial approach takes an intermediate position between those who emphasize the similarity between humans and other animals and those who emphasize the differences.  Humans are animals with an evolutionary origin.  Humans have a species history which distinguishes it from other animals: the coevolution of biology and culture makes humans more complex than other animals.

5. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Core Assumptions (cont.)  Adaptation is assumed to have taken place over a vast period of time. Adaptations in physiology or conduct vary by environment.  Extant features of human biology can be used to reveal aspects of our adaptation in the past (see Troost, 1988a, Turke, 1988).  Proximate, distal, and ultimate levels of interpretation can be approached separately; ideally they will be integrated.

6. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Myths About Humans and the Biosocial  Humans are unique.  Although humans posses some unique traits, so do other species.  Other species, for example, è use tools, è culturally transmit learned adaptations, è communicate, è demonstrate consciousness and thought.  Biology mandates uniformity.  Biological analyses are inherently only about individuals, not relationships. Evolutionary selection, for example, influences  reproduction,  food gathering,  social facilitation,  competetion management,  division of labor,  cultural transmission,  socialization,  and interpersonal communication.

7. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Model of the Human in the Family Context  Introduction  There is a complex interplay between proximate (immediate) and ultimate (evolutionary) influences.  Ontogeny, an individual’s life course development, “is influenced by the interplay of biological makeup and social environment” (p. 685). è Biological blueprints limit environmental input. è Environmental constraints limit biological predispositions.  Organisms, influenced by biological predispositions, actively select environments. This is known as niche building (Scarr & Mcartney, 1983).

8. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Model of the Human in the Family Context (cont.)  Extending the Model:  Life span development influences adaptability.  Departure from “normal” developmental patterns can cause system breakdown (e.g., excessively early or late marriage and childbearing have long-term implications).  Causation:  Proximate causation: immediate influences.  Distal causation: intermediate causes (e.g., affect of parent-infant bonding/attachment on later development).  Ultimate causation: evolutionary influences.

9. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Causation  Ultimate Causation:  Fundamental question: How has the family contributed to the success of humans?  What was the character of our evolutionary past?... How has our evolutionary history affected the attributes of the family?  What principles of sociobiology apply to humans?  Cultural diversity issues: Where and under what ecological circumstances does the biosocial... encourage variety in kinship formation?  Why is the family a universal phenomenon?  Proximate Causation:  Fundamental question: How do biology and society interact to form the biosocial family of today?  What are specific biosocial covariates; what are self-selection or niche-building effects?  What influences flexibility? What influences rigidity?

10. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Main Problems Addressed by the Theory  Reproduction and Fertility  What are the mechanisms directly affecting reproduction?  What are some of the reproductive questions facing humans?  Parental Investment  What are the mechanisms that support parental investment and how are they likely to be interpreted?  Who will do the investment and will it be through care, food, defense, or some other means?  Why is there such a heavy burden on parents; would it not make them and their offspring vulnerable?  How does the family today foster selection and reproduction of its members?

11. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Main Problems Addressed by the Theory (cont.)  Adult and Co-parental Bond  What are the mechanisms that promote adult, co-parental bonds and marriage?  How do these bonds differ and is this difference supported biosocially?  Do married individuals of childbearing age who have infertile partners suffer lower marital quality and higher marital dissolution rates?  Does marital stability vary after menopause independently of children?  What accounts for initial and enduring attraction and what is the role of the biosocial in comparison to psychological or social-only effects?

12. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Main Problems Addressed by the Theory (cont.):  Sexuality  What are the mechanisms regulating sexuality?  How is sexuality linked to reproduction, adult bonding, and parental investment?  How are fidelity, parental certainty, and the kinship system related to parental investment?  How do male and female sexuality mesh?  Are human beings more sex driven than reproductively driven; is this age dependent?  What role is played by the human capacity for trust and deception?

13. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Main Problems (cont.):  Family Life Course Timing: Windows and Breakdowns  What are the biosocial pathways over the individual life course and at what points are they particularly subject to breakdown; what mechanisms support these pathways and timing periods?  What are the time periods in individual development when a person is vulnerable to particular negative events?  Are there windows of opportunity during which a person is unusually sensitive to a positive influence [e.g., imprinting]?  If a person wants to be a grandparent, when should they begin “attraction, bonding, sexual activity, and childbearing?  Is miscarriage influenced by family life course, relational context, and availability of resources?  How does individual development fit together with family development?  How are individual and family development influenced by parent-child bonding, parental investment, reproduction, and sexuality?

14. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Examples of Research  Family Medicine  Biopsychosocial model: illnesses are influenced by several interacting systems.  Family members tend to share risk factors, influenced by both environmental and genetic factors.  Stress has a negative impact on health; family dynamics influence stress.  Four perspectives on families and illness (based on Steinglass & Horn, 1988): è The family can be a resource that provides social support and acts as a buffer. è The family can be a deficit, inducing illness. è The family can affect the course of the illness and influence recurrences. è The illness can have a major impact on the family.

15. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Examples of Research (cont.)  Family Violence:  Spousal abuse: è Men are more likely to try to control their partner because paternity is more difficult to ascertain. è This controlling behavior is associated with violence. è Abuse is also associated with investment: women who were trying to end relationships were at greater risk for abuse.  Child abuse: è Conflict is highest when parental investment is low. è Risk factors: infancy, paternal uncertainty, stepparenting, scarce resources (Daly & Wilson, 1987, 1988a,b).

16. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Research and Theories on Interaction between Biology and Society  Odor Communication  Kin recognition and attachment è Infants respond differently to their mother’s odors than to odors from other mothers. This has evolutionary utility. è Reaction to odors affects caregiving.  Mate selection and sexual attraction: odors influence attraction.  Physiological Indications of Family Phenomena  Marital satisfaction: physiological indicators can predict current and future marital satisfaction (Gottman, 1983; Levenson & Gottman, 1985).  Adolescent sexuality: androgen levels are associated with masturbation and sexual motivation in adolescent boys.

17. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Research and Theories on Interaction between Biology and Society (cont.)  Physiological Indications of Family Phenomena (cont.)  Sexual differentiation: è Gender differentiation of the brain and nervous system appears to reflect some physical brain structure differences. è Gender differentiation is linked to gender differences in cognitive style, brain lateralization, spatial ability. è Aggression in men is associated with testosterone.

18. Dr. Ronald J. Werner-Wilson Limitations of the Theory  Overstatement of biological forces.  “Scientific” studies of “natural” differences have been used to exploit or oppress (e.g., The Bell Curve).  Biological explanations are reductionistic.