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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–2Cite as

Kin Selection

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Synonyms

Inclusive fitness; Kin altruism

Definition

Kin selection is a view of natural selection that incorporates the role of shared genes in an organism’s decision-making.

Introduction

If an organism’s primary objective is the propagation of its own genes, why would such a selfish organism perform actions that benefit its competitors – incurring a cost to its own reproductive success, while increasing the reproductive success of others? These altruistic behaviors, while seemingly in direct opposition to natural selection, are often quite rational and in accordance with the essence of natural selection. This is particularly the case when one considers that the competitors that often reap the benefits of these acts are close relatives (e.g., brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, cousins). Relatives share a more-than-average amount of the same genes, and while the sharing is not 100% (except in the case of monozygotic “identical” twins), by helping a relative’s reproductive success, you...

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References

  • Darwin, C. (1859). On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. London: John Murray.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Rafael Antonio Garcia

Authors
  1. Rafael Antonio Garcia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rafael Antonio Garcia .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

    Jon Sefcek

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Garcia, R.A. (2017). Kin Selection. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1541-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1541-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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