Writing a three- to four-page double-spaced review and critique of the article.

1. 1
Article Critique
Institutional Affiliation
Student’s Name
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date

2. ARTICLE CRITIQUE: EUGENICS AND ITS EVOLUTION
2
Article Critique: Eugenics and its Evolution
Summary
This article is based on the concept of eugenics and how it has evolved in western
psychology. Defined as the concept of racial betterment, eugenics has been used to improve the
quality of human beings by always having desirable characteristics. The concept has been
essential in determining how human beings need to mate to produce people of certain levels of
intelligence and optimism. The article begins by looking at eugenics as a concept based on
Darwin’s theory of evolution (Oksana, 2019). The theory of evolution was based on the fact that
the development of humans was to fit within the changing environment and ensure that humans
became more useful than the previous ones. The subsequent humans had higher levels of
intelligence and could engage in more activities than the previous as a result of eugenics. The
study of the concept, according to the article, is as old as the study of psychology and its related
concepts.
The article also appreciates the input added by great philosophers such as Socrates and
Aristotle. According to the two philosophers, society could be improved by doing away with bad
behaviors through breeding. The basis of eugenics is to do away with characteristics that seem to
drag the society behind. For example, when a certain group of people seems to be of low
intelligence and not able to fit within the society, they are simply put in situations that contribute
to their extinction (Oksana, 2019). The article has established that eugenics was used in the past
and today as one of the social engineering tools aimed at attaining certain levels of intelligence
within society. The author of the article has also established that eugenics has been a center of
focus for most psychologists who wish to condition the behavior of organisms to achieve a

3. ARTICLE CRITIQUE: EUGENICS AND ITS EVOLUTION
3
certain goal. Despite using examples to illustrate the role of eugenics in psychology and history,
the article also goes ahead to critique its use in different societal issues. The end of the article
looks at the contributions that it has had in human life over the years.
Explanation of Article
The article has clearly defined eugenics within the introduction. Any person who does not
know about eugenics will get its understanding in the introduction and have a glimpse of what
they are about to read in the rest of the article. The article has clearly started by looking at the
historical perspective of the concept. With the definition and illustration of how it has been used
in history and other psychological concepts, the author informs the audience of the importance of
the concept and why studying its evolution is important. The historical perspective of this
concept informs the audience how humans started using it and how it has changed over the years
to become one of the most useful concepts in psychology and sociology (Oksana, 2019). By
bringing up Darwin’s theory of evolution, the readers understand how the concept contributed to
the change in human behavior. The next important concept is the focus on psychotherapy. The
scientific and statistical methods used in psychotherapy are mainly based on the concepts of
eugenics. The knowledge gained from the concepts of eugenics has also been used in
psychotherapy to remove troubling symptoms that may make a person fall into such a situation.
The strengths of eugenics research show how it has been used to improve human behavior while
focusing on behavior and intelligence. As a result of the concept, the current average man
appears to be more intelligent than the average human in the past.
The article also looks at the disadvantages that the concept has had on western
psychology. Although it has been used to modify human behavior and mental capacity to fit

4. ARTICLE CRITIQUE: EUGENICS AND ITS EVOLUTION
4
within the requirements of society, it has also produced humans who are conditioned to think in a
certain way. The author notes that in the 20th century, Western psychology focused on improving
people’s behavior and mental ability so that the future could be filled within innovations
(Oksana, 2019). Despite having achieved this, the author also notes that the concept has led to
bias against the less privileged people in the society who are considered undesirable. Racism,
homophobia, and sexism are attitudes that resulted from the concept. To create a group of people
with desirable characteristics, the psychologists ended up having a society with prejudice against
people who were considered to be having such undesirable attributes. For example, the article
has noted that black people are presented as unintelligent and violent. This makes the rest of the
world have a prejudice against the black community.
Conclusion
The article has clearly described the concept of eugenics and how it has evolved from the
old-time to the current generation. The concept’s strengths are visible in the article as
psychologists use it to produce more intelligent generations than the previous ones. The demerits
are also evident in the manner in which it has led to stereotyping of the less privileged
communities in the world. It is possible to agree with the article that despite having advantages,
eugenics, through its evolution, has resulted in many social problems that are now difficult to
eradicate.

5. ARTICLE CRITIQUE: EUGENICS AND ITS EVOLUTION
5
References
Oksana, Y. (2019). Eugenics and its evolution in the history of western psychology: A critical
Archival Review. Psychother Politics Int., 17, 1-13.