Citation

Friedman SH, Cavney J, Resnick PJ. Psychiatr. Clin. North Am. 2012; 35(4): 781-795.

Affiliation

Departments of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Connections Mental Health Center, 24200 Chagrin Boulevard, Beachwood, OH 44122, USA. Electronic address: susanhfmd@hotmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psc.2012.08.002

PMID

23107563

Abstract

This article explores the contribution of evolutionary theory to the understanding of causation and motive in filicide cases and also reviews special issues in the forensic evaluation of alleged perpetrators of filicide. Evolutionary social psychology seeks to understand the context in which our brains evolved, to understand human behaviors. The authors propose evolutionary theory as a framework theory to meaningfully appreciate research about filicide. Using evolutionary psychology as a theoretical lens, this article reviews the research on filicide over the past 40 years, and describes epidemiologic and typologic studies of filicide, and theoretical analyses from a range of disciplines.

Language: en