Definition
The psychological and behavioral characteristics of the species Homo sapiens.
Introduction
Three basic questions can be asked about human nature. First, what is it? Second, does it really exist? And third, if we know what human nature is and that it does exist, why is it the way it is?
What Is Human Nature?
The concept of human nature refers to the notion that there are aspects of how the human mind works and of human behavior that are common to all (or most) members of our species. A related but broader concept is that of human universals, which in addition to psychological and behavioral traits also refers to the aspects of society, culture, language, morality, or religion that are found in all, or most, human societies. We discuss human universals, separately, after answering the three basic questions about human nature.
Human nature includes both broad and specific psychological and behavioral traits. Examples of broad traits include the...
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References
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Maestripieri, D., Marvel-Coen, J. (2020). Human Nature and Human Universals. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1585
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1585
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