Instincts (Biological)

Synonyms

Drives; Impulses; Innate behavior

Definition

Instincts are broadly defined as innate behaviors that are performed independent of prior experience. That is to say, instincts are not learned behaviors. Instead, they are considered to be heritable, unconscious responses to some external stimuli (Herrnstein 1972).

Introduction

Although some argue that all members of a species possess the same set of instincts, De Raad and Doddema-Winsemius (1999) note that varying environmental conditions “…may produce predictable individual differences in instinctive behavior” (p. 294). Instincts differ from reflexes in that the former can be modified if one becomes consciously aware of his/her actions and wishes to change them. In contrast, reflexes are automatic responses that cannot be changed (i.e., pupil dilation to light).

History

The concept of instinctswas first introduced to the psychological domain by William Wundt in the 1870s. Wundt described an instinct as any repetitive action...