Who introduced the concept of instinct. Innate human instincts
Psychological dictionary. A.V. Petrovsky M.G. Yaroshevsky
Instinct (from lat. instinctus - motivation)- a set of innate components of the behavior and psyche of animals and humans. The concept of instinct at different times was invested with different content; in some cases, I. was opposed to consciousness, and in relation to a person, the term "Instinct" served to designate passions, impulsive, thoughtless behavior, "animal nature" in the human psyche, etc.; in other cases, complex unconditioned reflexes, nervous mechanisms for coordinating vital movements, etc. were called instinct.
Such a vague interpretation prompted most modern researchers to abandon the use of the concept of I. as a scientific term, retaining, however, the term "instinctive" as a synonym for the concepts: "genetically fixed", "hereditarily fixed", "innate" behavior, action, etc. . (cm . Instinctive behavior of animals).
Dictionary of psychiatric terms. V.M. Bleikher, I.V. Crook
Instinct (lat. instinctus - motivation)- congenital forms of behavior and psyche, characterized by species commonality. According to I.P. Pavlov, Instinct - complex unconditioned reflexes that ensure the implementation of physiological functions vital for the body, necessary for the survival of the species and the extension of the genus. Irritants that set in motion instinctive reactions are simple physical and chemical signs of animals, plants, objects that are significant for the body. inanimate nature- their shape, size, color, smell, taste, color, etc.
In psychoanalysis, I. sexuality and the death instinct are given importance in the mental life of a person: The sexual instinct manifests itself in in constant motion to rebirth, I. death - in the desire of a living being for death. Even some followers of S. Freud wrote about the impossibility of deriving I. death from any biological observations. The death instinct cannot be confused with the instinct of aggression, destruction, since the former is directed by the subject at himself, while the latter is manifested by the desire to kill others. S. Freud, asserting the subordination of behavior to primitive unconscious drives and supposedly inherent in human I. death, came to the conclusion about the inevitability of wars and human violence, about the detrimental effect of civilization on mental health [Bassin F.V., Yaroshevsky M.G., 1989] .
Neurology. Full Dictionary. Nikiforov A.S.
Instinct- inborn behavioral reactions aimed at adapting to living conditions, self-preservation, satisfaction of biological needs. The basic instincts inherent in man: food, self-preservation and sexual.
Oxford Dictionary of Psychology
Instinct (Latin - instinctus)- means motivating compelling, it is understood that such impulses are natural or innate. There are four common, differing meanings of this term:
- A non-acquired response characteristic of members of a given species.
- The tendency or predisposition to respond in a particular way that is characteristic of a particular species. This predisposition is the putative basis of the observed behavior.
- A complex, coordinated set of actions, universal or near universal, that occurs in a given species under certain stimulus conditions, certain states of attraction, and certain developmental conditions. This meaning occurs primarily in ethology; see, for example, innate release mechanism, fixed pattern of activity, and related terms.
- Any of a number of unacquired, inherited tendencies that are supposed to function as the motivational forces of complex human patterns of behavior. This meaning is, of course, expressed in classical psychoanalysis.
In actual usage, the way the term is applied differs dramatically from theory to theory. The first school of psychology to make instinct a central concept was Freudianism. In their early writings Freud distinguished two classes of instincts: the ego-instincts, or self-preservation instincts, and the sexual, or reproductive, instincts. In his later writings, he limited the term to Thanatos (death instincts) and Eros (life instincts). However, in both schemes, Freud made it clear that instincts were essential motivating forces of behavior but were not supposed to determine specific behavioral manifestations. The emphasis was on what is instinctive rather than on the instincts themselves; that is, the values 1, 2, and 3 were not implied.
In McDougall's hormic psychology, instinct was used (in the meanings of 1, 2, and 4) as a central theoretical concept. All behavior was seen as intentional or purposeful and motivated by basic species-specific inclinations, instincts. Unlike Freud, MacDougall applied the term broadly to all motivational constructs, and the resulting proliferation of instincts undermined the scientific basis of the theory.
The use of this term by ethologists (primarily in the meaning of 3, but in conjunction with the meanings of 1 and 2) emphasized species-specific and biological aspects. This becomes clear from Lorenz's definition: "Behavior which is largely determined by the neural mechanisms involved in the phylogeny of the species." Note that this pattern of use specifically includes behavior, in contrast to psychoanalysis, which focused on motivation.
Much of the confusion arose from several unresolved (and possibly unresolvable) issues, (a) The problem of heredity: the extent to which instincts are biologically programmed or result from environmental factors. See here the heredity-environment discussion, (b) Species specificity: are instincts general motivators or can they only develop within certain types? The accumulating evidence here tends to support an ethological approach that focuses on intraspecies analysis, (c) Behavior specificity: the degree to which certain behaviors should be included in a concept. Although it is clear that some behavioral manifestations are always implied (how else to know about the existence of an instinct?), this is a serious problem. The more specific the intended behavior, the greater the possibility that the term will take on an unacceptable vagueness, as MacDougall did.
Obviously, these questions are interrelated and, of course, not the only ones. It can be concluded that this general concept is too vital to be banished from the psychologist's vocabulary, as some have suggested. A less stable concept would have perished long ago because of its own excesses. Handle him carefully.
subject area of the term
INSTINCT THEORY AND OBJECT THEORY (instinct THEORY AND OBJECT THEORY)- these terms are used to distinguish positions, some of which are connected with INSTINCTs and their vicissitudes, and others - with the relationship of the individual with his OBJECTS. From a formal point of view, such a distinction is artificial, since instincts are directed towards objects, and objects can only be meaningful if the individual has an urge to relate to them. In practice, however, such a difference exists in reality, namely: between theories that believe that the individual acquires the ability to have relations with objects at some stage of DEVELOPMENT, and theories that believe that he is born already having a connection with an object (MOTHER); between those who believe that Adaptation- the process of forced learning, and others who believe that the baby is born adapted; between those who believe that the value of an object lies in its ability to give instinctive pleasure, and those who believe that the value of pleasure lies in its ability to enrich relationships. instinct-theory provides a connection between psychoanalysis and biology, and OBJECT-THORY - a connection with the social sciences. Classical psychoanalysis is the theory of instincts; The KLEINIAN and the Fairbairn (see FAIRBAIRN'S PSYCHOPATOLOGY REVISED) systems are theories of objects. Hartmann's ego-psychology contains some aspects of both. See Klein (1948), Fairbairn (1952), Hartmann (1958).
INSTINCT, CLOSED- innate species-specific behaviors (that is, instincts in the meaning of 3), which are rigid and inflexible. They appear when and only when an appropriate stimulus is provided, and are closed to any changes generated by the environment. Many insect behaviors fall into this class.
INSTINCT- a set of innate components of the behavior and psyche of animals and humans. An integral part of instinctive behavior is its least plastic component. Animals have genetically programmed forms of behavior that are characteristic of a given species and are associated primarily with the food, protective and reproductive spheres (-> instinctive behavior). Fairly constant and independent of local changes external environment. Conclusions about the "blindness" or "reasonableness" of instincts are incorrect: one should speak, respectively, of their fixity, rigidity and biological expediency. The rigidity of the instinct is also expedient - it reflects the adaptability of the animal to the constancy of its living conditions. The “mistakes” of instinct when an animal enters into conditions unusual for it can be compared with “mistakes”, illusions of perception (-> perception: illusion); instincts are characterized by the same "irresistibility" and even "coercion". These and other "mistakes" arise as a result of the automatic operation of involuntary mechanisms - correct, but found themselves in "wrong", artificial, unlikely or even impossible situations in nature. According to ethological theory (-> ethology), instincts are conditioned by the action of external and internal factors. External include special stimuli - key incentives. Internal factors include endogenous stimulation of the centers of instinctive actions, leading to a decrease in the threshold of their excitation. In this sense, the facts of the expansion of the spectrum of stimuli that cause instinctive actions are very indicative, especially the facts of the spontaneous appearance of the latter. According to the model of K. Lorenz, usually the endogenous activity of instinctive actions is inhibited and blocked. Appropriate stimuli release the blockage, acting as a key, hence the name. Nowadays, views on the question of the relationship between instinct and learning have changed significantly. Previously, forms of behavior based on instinct and learning were opposed. It was believed that instinctive actions are strictly programmed and their individual “finishing” is impossible. Later it turned out that this is far from being the case: many instinctive actions must go through a period of formation and training in the course of individual development animal - the period of obligate training. So many instinctive acts are "finished" in the individual experience of the animal, and this completion is also programmed. It ensures the adaptation of instinctive action to environmental conditions. Of course, the plasticity of instinctive action is limited and determined genetically. Much greater plasticity is provided by optional learning - the process of mastering new, purely individual forms of behavior. If during obligatory learning all individuals of a species improve in the same species-typical actions, then during optional learning they master individual-special forms of behavior, adapting them to specific conditions of existence. In connection with the question of the relationship between instinct and learning, one should also mention the behavioral tradition. In essence, any action of animals is a complex interweaving of species-typical and acquired elements of behavior. Different content was put into the concept of instinct at different times:
1) sometimes instinct was opposed to consciousness, and in relation to a person, it served to designate passions, impulsive, thoughtless behavior, the "animal nature" in the human psyche, etc.;
2) in other cases, complex reflexes, unconditional, nervous mechanisms for coordinating vital movements, etc., were called instinct. , action, etc.).
THE INSTINCT OF SELF-PRESERVATION- innate urges and forms of behavior aimed at adapting to the conditions of life and survival. In psychoanalysis, the elementary instincts of self-preservation include hunger and thirst.
INSTINCT SEXUAL-> sexual attraction.
DEATH INSTINCT(thanatos) -> death drive.
(Golovin S.Yu. Dictionary of practical psychologist - Minsk, 1998)
Animal instincts(from lat. instinctus- motivation) - genetically fixed forms behavior And mental reflection common to all representatives of this species. Adaptive value And. consists in ensuring the fulfillment of the most important for the existence of an individual and the whole type of vital functions: food, protective, reproductive, migratory, etc. Although I. f. relatively constant and autonomous in relation to short-term changes in the animal's environment, they are realized in ontogeny in close interaction with the processes learning. So, in a number of cases, the signs of the objects to which instinctive actions are directed are fixed in memory by impressions.
In concept And. researchers at different times invested different content, often opposed this concept consciousness or they denoted passions, impulsive thoughtless behavior, the animal nature in the human psyche, etc. Such a vague interpretation of this concept prompted many modern researchers to abandon its use as a scientific term, while retaining the term "instinctive behavior" (action, movement) .
Instinctive actions consist of complexes of clearly coordinated movements, postures, sound, thermoregulatory, secretory, skin, and other reactions (for example, color changes) performed in a certain sequence. There are 2 phases of instinctive action: more labile, preparatory, or search engine, and conservative, little changeable, final.At the final phase, the actual instinctive movements are performed ( innate motor coordination).
The biological aspects of the instinctive behavior of animals, its development in phylogenesis and the role of the evolutionary factor are studied by ethology.Comparative psychology And zoopsychology study the instinctive components of behavior as components of mental reflection at the level of the animal, and also in connection with the problem of the origin and development of human mental activity.
Added ed.: The well-known domestic zoopsychologist Kurt Ernestovich Fabry (1923-1990), author of the remarkable textbook "Fundamentals of Animal Psychology" (1976), tirelessly emphasized that instinct and learning do not constitute 2 successive stages in the evolutionary development of behavior; and being components of a single process of behavior, they cannot exist without each other. In other words, the so-called. There are no "pure" instincts. Therefore, classifying, for example, the construction of nests in chimpanzees, rats, birds, fish and wasps as instinctive behavior, it is necessary to take into account the huge variety of real psychophysiological mechanisms of such behavior, it can largely be. the result of learning and intellectual decision. (B. M.)
(Zinchenko V.P., Meshcheryakov B.G. Bolshoi psychological dictionary- 3rd ed., 2002)
Often the innate instincts of a person are also called basic instincts. At the heart of these instincts lies the tendency of a person to perform certain actions or to avoid certain actions.
Of course, all innate human instincts are not fully realized, since social norms also play an important role.
It should be noted that in relation to people, the exact definition of instincts does not apply. That is, complex innate reactions that occur in the body with virtually no changes, as a response to environmental stimuli, concern only animals.
Today, there are three groups of innate human instincts.
So, the first group includes:
Predispositions that appear innately. These instincts are responsible for a person's desire to save his life.
These instincts are:
the presence of dissatisfaction leads to the fact that the human individual has a significantly reduced chance of survival;
no need for another object in order to satisfy their needs.
In addition, this group includes such predispositions as:
The instinct of self-preservation. This instinct is innate, since every person from his very birth strives to avoid situations that could harm him or his health.
evolutionary phobias. For example, some people from birth feel fear of certain objects, for example, fear of snakes, spiders, darkness.
Likes or aversions. At the genetic level, a person may experience disgust or addiction to a particular food. For example, for someone it is an acute and irresistible desire to try something new, experiencing a new taste, for someone there is a desire to eat salty, mineral-rich or high-calorie foods.
Body temperature regulation.
The desire to stay awake and when feeling tired - to sleep so that the body is filled with strength and energy for further existence.
Desire to see or feel flight. Often at the genetic level, many people have a desire to feel or look at the flight. So, for some individuals, the view from above is especially popular, other people, at the first sign of danger, try to hide as high as possible, and some people are so attached to brachiation that they associate their main activity with air and flight. For example, skydiving or flying a plane.
Another innate instinct of the first category is defecation. That is, every person needs to urinate and defecate processed foods.
Another innate instinct is the passion for collecting or collecting.
Biological clock and rhythms. That is, interaction with the outside world occurs as a result of a person getting used to factors environment, which have periodic changes. That is, getting used to fluctuations in temperature, changing seasons, etc.
Sleep and rest regime. That is, every human being from birth has a need for rest to restore their strength.
Today, many scientists distinguish the second category of innate human instincts, which are called social.
The peculiarity of these instincts is that the process of their formation occurs only if one individual has interaction with another.
This group highlights the following predispositions:
The instinct to continue one's kind. That is, each person has an innate desire to continue his race, creating his offspring.
parenting behavior. This instinct manifests itself when a person has children; on a subconscious level, he has a desire to patronize and take care of his offspring.
Dominance and submission. This instinct is manifested in some people by the desire to subjugate other people (pronounced leadership qualities), and in others - to obey.
appeasement and aggression.
Territorial instincts. That is, a clear delineation of its territory.
group behavior. It is characterized by the desire of a person to obey the opinion of the majority, as the only correct one.
The third group of instincts consists of innate programs of ideal needs. The peculiarity of this category is due to the fact that it is not tied to individual or species adaptation to reality. That is, these instincts cannot be derived, they can only exist independently and in a generalized way.
These instincts include:
- learning instinct;
- the existence of games;
- the presence of imitation;
- having their own preferences in art.
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The instincts of self-preservation and procreation are basic, ensuring the physical survival of an individual and species. The exploratory instinct and the instinct of freedom provide the primary specialization of man. The instincts of dominance and preservation of dignity provide self-affirmation, self-preservation of a person in psychosocial terms. Together, these instincts ensure the adaptation of a person in real life. The instinct of altruism socializes the egocentric essence of all other instincts.
Usually, one or more instincts dominate in a person, while the rest are less pronounced, but fully affect the orientation of the individual in any activity.
As a result of testing, the severity of each of the seven basic instincts and which instinct is dominant is determined.
^ I. SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCT
From early childhood, a person of this type shows a tendency to increased caution, the child does not let go of his mother for a moment, is afraid of the dark, heights, water, intolerant of pain (refusal to treat teeth, visit doctors, etc.).
On the basis of this type, a personality with pronounced egocentricity, anxious suspiciousness, a tendency, under adverse circumstances, to obsessive fears, phobias or hysterical reactions can be formed. These are people for whom "Safety and health are above all!", And their credo: "Life is one and there will be no more." The evolutionary expediency of having this type lies in the fact that its carriers, while preserving themselves, are the guardians of the gene pool of the clan, tribe. This type is characterized by the following leading qualities:
self-centeredness,
Conservatism,
Willingness to sacrifice social needs for the sake of one's own safety,
risk denial,
Anxiety about your health and well-being.
^II. INSTINCT OF PROCESSING
It is characterized by a peculiar kind of egocentrism, when "I" is replaced by the concept of "We" (by "We" means the family) up to the denial of "I". Values, goals, life plan are subordinated to one thing - the interests of children and families. Already in childhood, the interests of this type of people are fixed on the family, and such a child is only happy when the father and mother return from work, the whole family is together, everyone is healthy and everyone is in a good mood. He keenly feels discord in the family, and in this case he may experience a depressive neurotic reaction.
These are people who value the interests of the family above all else, and their credo is: "My home is my fortress." The evolutionary expediency of having this type is that its carriers are the guardians of the family, the guardians of the gene pool of the genus, the guardians of life.
This type has the following qualities:
Super love for your children
Nepotism,
Over-concern for the safety and health of their children,
The tendency to deny one's "I" in favor of "We" (family),
Anxiety about the future of their children.
^iii. Altruitic instinct
People of this type are characterized by kindness, empathy, caring for loved ones, especially the elderly, they are able to give others the last, even what they themselves need. They are convinced that it cannot be good for everyone if it is bad for someone alone, and their credo is "Kindness will save the world, kindness is above all." And they are evolutionary guardians of kindness, peace, guardians of life.
The leading qualities are characteristic of the altruistic type:
Kindness,
Empathy, understanding people,
Disinterestedness in dealing with people
Caring for the weak, the sick,
Peacefulness.
^IV. INSTINCT OF INVESTIGATION
From early childhood, people of this type have curiosity, a desire to get to the bottom of everything, a penchant for creativity. At first, these people are interested in everything, but then more and more captures one passion. Travelers, inventors, scientists are persons of this type. Their credo is "Creativity and progress are above all." The evolutionary expediency of this type is obvious.
The research type is inherent in:
Propensity for research
The tendency to search for something new, innovative in science, art,
The ability to leave without hesitation a habitable place, an established business when new, risky, but interesting cases and tasks appear,
Striving for creativity
Selflessness in the realization of creative aspirations.
^ V. INSTINCT TO DOMINATION
From early childhood, there is a desire for leadership, the ability to organize a game, set a goal, show the will to achieve it, a personality is formed who knows what she wants and how to achieve what she wants, persistent in achieving the goal, ready for a thoughtful risk, able to understand people and lead them behind you. Credo of this type: "Business and order above all"; "One - nothing, all - everything"; "It will be good for everyone - it will be good for everyone."
The evolutionary expediency of this type of presence of this type, which gives birth to leaders, organizers, politicians, is that they are the guardians of the interests and honor of the whole family.
The dominant type is characterized by:
Tendency to leadership, to power,
Ability to solve complex organizational problems
The priority of career prospects over material incentives,
Readiness for a tough fight for leadership, for first place,
The priority of the general (the interests of the cause, the team) over the private (the interests of one person).
^ vi. FREEDOM INSTINCT
Already in the cradle, this type of child protests when swaddled. The tendency to protest against any restriction of freedom grows with them, people of this type are characterized by the desire for independence, the denial of authorities (parents, teachers), tolerance for pain, a tendency to leave their father's house early, a predisposition to risk, stubbornness, negativism, intolerance of routine, bureaucracy. The credo of such people: "Freedom above all!". And they are the guardians of the interests and freedom of each individual, they naturally limit the tendencies of the dominant type. They are the guardians of freedom, and with it, of life. This type has:
Propensity to protest, rebellion,
Predisposition to change places (denial of everyday life),
Striving for independence
Propensity to reformism, revolutionary transformations,
Intolerance to any form of restrictions, to censorship, to the suppression of the "I".
^ VII. INSTINCT TO PRESERVE Dignity
Already in early childhood a person of this type is able to catch irony, ridicule and is absolutely intolerant of any form of humiliation. Characteristic recklessness, readiness to give up everything in defending their rights, unshakable position "Honor is above all." The self-preservation instinct of such a person is last place. In the name of honor and dignity, these people go to Golgotha.
Attachment to the family is expressed in the form of preserving family honor: "There were no scoundrels and cowards in our family." The evolutionary expediency of having this type lies in the fact that its bearers are the guardians of the honor and dignity of the "I", the personality, and with this - a life worthy of a person.
For people of this type are characteristic:
Intolerance to any form of humiliation,
Willingness to sacrifice well-being and social status in the name of my own dignity,
The priority of honor and pride over safety,
Uncompromising and direct relations with leaders,
Intolerance to all forms of infringement of human rights (c)
Instincts are the most complex acts of innate behavior. For instinctive behavior, there are two important moments. First, the dependence of instinctive behavior on the state of the internal environment of the organism. Secondly, stimuli are only triggers of instinctive behavior and are not necessary for the implementation of the entire act. The gray goose, for example, as a rule, returns the egg that has rolled out to the nest by pushing it with its beak, and continues these pushing movements even if the egg has rolled (mixing activity) over the nest.
Ch. Darwin instinctively accepted that part of animal behavior that is characteristic of a given species and is hereditarily assigned to representatives of this species.
According to the German zoologist Bigler (1914), an action is considered instinctive if it:
hereditary, i.e. motivation and ability to act are among the hereditary properties of the species;
does not require prior prompting;
performed the same for everyone;
corresponds to the bodily organization of the animal, i.e. is in connection with her normal use of organs;
adapted to the natural conditions of life, often even in connection with regular natural changes in these conditions, for example, with the seasons.
At present, all the actions of animals that do not depend on education are called instinct. Instinctive behavior is based on the norms of movements specific to a given species (endogenous automatisms), as well as on response norms specific to a given species.
Instinct is a set of motor acts and complex forms of behavior characteristic of animals of a given species, arising from irritation from the external and internal environment of the body and proceeding against the background of high excitability of the nerve centers associated with the implementation of these acts.
An instinct is a hereditary complex of reactions to certain influences, certain changes in the conditions of the external and internal environment, which is the same for all individuals of a species. Instincts are manifestations of behavioral acts determined by the most complex connections of the structures and processes of the body fixed by evolution.
According to the types of needs, the following types of instincts are distinguished:
Vital, aimed at the survival of the individual, dissatisfaction with the need leads to the death of the individual, the realization of the need does not require the participation of another individual;
Zoosocial, or role-playing, are aimed at the survival of the species, the effective existence of the group - “what is good for the mind is good for you”;
Self-development, facing the future, aimed at self-improvement of rational activity.
vital instincts:
*drinking
* defensive (active and passive)
* regulation of the sleep-wake cycle
* saving energy (forces)
Zoosocial or role-playing instincts:
* sexual (partner choice)
* parental (separation of the roles of father and mother)
*territorial (protection of habitat areas to conserve resources)
* emotional resonance (acceleration of socialization - the path of empathy, sympathy, in the end - consciousness)
*group hierarchy (altruistic selfishness)
Instincts of self-development:
*research
* imitative (imitative)
The instinct is carried out in several successive stages: preparatory, search, final.
The properties of instincts include the fact that instinctive behavioral reactions have a high species specificity - a set of fixed actions genetically predetermined by the central program. Relatively simple (“key”) stimuli only trigger a stereotyped response, but do not determine its realization. Instincts for specific stimuli arise and are inherited. Need is the driving force behind instinct. Change with age. Doesn't require learning.
Ethologists present instinctive behavior as a complex hierarchy of mutually subordinate internal and external influences, with the nervous system controlling specific instinctive acts at each level.
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