Charles Darwin Is One of the Founding

Charles Darwin is one of the founding fathers of psychology. Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England on February 12th, 1809 and died on April 19th 1882 ("Wikipedia"). Darwin's was the grandson of Erasmus Darwin who was an intellectual figure in the history of science. His father was a well respected, successful physician. Charles Darwin comes from a line of intellectual men and was expected to do great things. Darwin attended Shrewsbury school, then continued his studies at Edinburgh University where he studied medicine and then later studied theology at Cambridge University. Charles Darwin did not excel in school, the way his family expected him to, however at Cambridge University he became an advocate for natural history ("Encyclopedia of Psychology"). Darwin has made much significant contribution in the field of Psychology. In this paper I will provide information about Darwin's life and his contributions to the field of psychology.

Darwin came from a family of men who made significant contributions to the world. His father was a prominent physician, his grandfather a respected scientist and his cousin Galton who is also a recognizable name in science. There was great expectation for Charles Darwin, and he lived up to those expectations. Darwin changed the world with his research and his work in evolution. Toward the end of his life he published three books which explored the psyche of humans and how it related to evolution. Although these books were not widely accepted at the time and is still not widely accepted today, they changed the world in many ways.

Theory of Evolution

Although Darwin is credited with the theory of evolution, it was his grandfather Erasmus Darwin who coined the term evolution and believed in this idea. Charles Darwin had the support of his father in his work and he continued to follow through on his grandfather's theory of evolution. In 1859 Darwin published is most famous book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859 (Schultz & Schultz, 192). Darwin believed that the human mind evolves with education, experience and other environmental factors that humans are exposed to. Many scientists believed that although Darwin made many contributions to science and the field of psychology. His most significant contribution to the field of psychology is his belief of evolution of the mind.

Evolution in Organizational Psychology

In the business world organization psychology is a very important part of business operations. Corporations are constantly changing, moving forward, downgrading, enlarging, outsourcing and moving forward technologically. Technology changes rapidly in most organizations. Companies change because of two main reasons; they are forced to survive in a competitive environment, and because they are reaching for success. "One can view corporate expansion as a form of constrained adaptation to growth opportunities" (Martin et al.,). Organization utilizes market research and evolution to direct their daily business activities. Market research is conducted to gather information about the evolution of customers, their needs, technological advancements and the demands of the market. The organizations use the information gathered about the evolution of the market to make important business decisions. Organizations evolution is one of the most utilized topics in psychology used in businesses today.

According to (Martin et al.,) evolution is a significant part of the business operations in North America and Europe. Organizations are concerned about the happiness of their employees, many companies provide tuition reimbursement for their employees to go back to school and gain the education they need to become more successful. Companies offer regular training programs for their employees, they are investing in their employees to ensure their employees are evolving in the way the market demands. One of the biggest sign of evolution in many companies is that they are making investments in their employees to keep them happy, keep them employed and more committed to their jobs. This is a major evolutionary progress in the history of the business world.

Natural Selection

Darwin's theory of natural selection was initially utilized in Biology. These principles hold that through the struggle for existence, some people take advantage of their biological attributes, making them better able excel or survive in a specific situation ("Charles Robert Darwin"). Darwin was extremely cautious about his theories, since they contradicted popular belief at the time. Religion at the time was the popular belief, which was built on the idea that our paths have been pre-ordained by God.

The theory of natural selection is an important part of any business organization. This is an important part of the hiring and promotion process in any organization. Companies utilize the process of natural selection in their hiring process; this is an attempt to obtain the brightest and most competent employees. "The primary concern of Evolutionary psychology is how the selective pressures in our species' past have generated behaviors, adaptations and how these adaptations influence people today"(Bjorklund & Pellegrini). Companies feel pressure to remain successful and to stay ahead of the competitors, and their only way of doing so is to ensure they have the brightest employees. The people who work the hardest and contribute to the most success to the business organization are the ones who get promotes and remain in the organizations.

Survival of the Fittest

The theory of survival of fittest was coined by Darwin, which means the strong will outlive the weak. This is an important part of Corporate America. The individuals who work harder, those that are more productive and those who contribute more to the organization are the ones who get promoted and stay with the organization. Companies seek to promote or to hire employees that will maximize their success; this is the true meaning of the term survival of the fittest in Organizational Psychology. In the world of sales, employees that are not generating adequate sales are usually let go from the organization or repositioned. The Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of the major businesses are usually individuals who have contributed to the business world in significant ways.

Why Darwin

I choose to write about Darwin because I feel like his work and his contributions to the world go beyond psychology. Darwin's contribution to the world includes biology, psychology and today it impacts the business world through industrial and organizational psychology. Today Darwin's theories are utilized in many aspects of our daily lives. His work has evolved to survive in our economy and in the 21st century. Like his theory of evolution, his work continues to evolve making progress two centuries later.