SciencebiologyEvolution and Ecology
Why some adults thrive after childhood adversity
Jay Belsky, an emeritus professor at UC Davis, offers a quietly revolutionary take on a question that has long haunted psychology: why do some adults not just survive but thrive after a difficult childhood? In his new book, 'The Nature of Nurture,' he suggests we've been looking at it all wrong. The mainstream view has often painted early adversity as a straightforward path to dysfunction, a tragic deviation from an idealized path.Belsky, however, puts on an evolutionary lens. He argues that because threat and deprivation were not uncommon in our ancestral past, the ways children develop in response likely evolved as adaptations—hardwired strategies to increase the chances of surviving and, ultimately, reproducing, even if that means trading long-term health for earlier maturity.This 'evo-devo' perspective leads to his second, crucial insight: children are not blank slates equally molded by their environment. He proposes a 'differential-susceptibility hypothesis,' where some kids are like orchids, beautifully responsive to both nurturing support and harsh neglect, while others are more like dandelions, resiliently pushing through almost any condition.This flips the script on resilience; a child who seems untouched by trauma might also gain less from a supportive environment. It’s a humbling thought for parents and policymakers alike, suggesting that our most well-intentioned interventions will profoundly help some, modestly assist others, and leave a portion relatively unchanged due to their inherent biological and temperamental wiring. Belsky’s work isn't about offering excuses but about fostering a deeper, more nuanced compassion—one that recognizes the complex, ancient dance between our harsh pasts and our individual blueprints for navigating the world.
#childhood adversity
#resilience
#evolutionary psychology
#developmental plasticity
#differential susceptibility
#featured
