Alison becomes very anxious when she has to give a speech in front of an audience. Advocates of evolutionary personality theory might call Alison's problem an example of anxiety caused by
A) conditioning.
B) an inherited temperament.
C) a fear of social exclusion.
D) a fear of novel situations.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Evolutionary personality theory suggests that certain fears, such as the fear of social exclusion, have evolved because they had survival benefits for our ancestors. Being accepted by the group was crucial for survival, so anxiety in social situations like public speaking could be an evolutionary mechanism to ensure we act in ways that maintain social bonds.

Alison Becomes Very Anxious When She Has to Give a Speech