What is instinct? Several definitions of this concept

Let us look at several ways of conceiving what instinct is, both in animals and in humans.

What is instinct? What is left of animal instinct in us humans? Can we trust our instinct? And what does science have to say about it?

There are many questions that we are still asking ourselves about such a complex and basic concept as instinct, which does not have the same meaning in popular psychology as it does for the followers of Freud or for current neuroscience. In this article we will see which are the main ways of understanding and defining this concept.

• Related article, "Are we rational or emotional beings?"

What is instinct? Different interpretations of this concept

There are several ways of conceiving what instincts are. Below we will see the most outstanding ones.

The Darwinian instinct

We all learn the same definition of instinct during our school years: an innate, stereotyped and specific behavior that is triggered by certain types of stimuli and continues until consummated, even in the absence of the stimulus that provoked it. and that continues until its consummation, even in the absence of the stimulus that provoked it.

For Darwin, instincts constituted an essential part of the nature of every living being. It is instinct that allows subsistence, the relationship with the environment and with the environment.It is the instinct that allows subsistence, the relationship with the environment and with the rest of the individuals of the same species.

The same instinct that drives bees to build geometric panels or that allows birds to migrate thousands of kilometers across the seas to return months later to their place of origin.

But what happens if we try to transfer the Darwinian instinct to human beings? Do we retain the same capacity as other animals? Sometimes, instincts such as reproduction or feeding are not as important as those of other animals. seem to clash head-on with our ability to act with free will.

Animal instinct vs. human instinct

A priori, the most common explanation is that instinct is something inherited and innate, and that we are born with it. We can prove this with a multitude of animals, including our favorite pets. Who hasn't seen their dog salivate when feeding it? It seems obvious that in the animal kingdom, instincts are preserved and fulfill their vital function.

However... What happens to human beings? Let's take an example: the feeding instinct. This primary instinct allows all living beings to balance their needs for energy and rest. So far, so good. But what about disorders such as anorexia or bulimia?

Human beings are the only animals capable of defying the nature of their instincts. We are the only living beings that may act against the perpetuation of our own species.. And this would also break the instinct par excellence, which is none other than the survival instinct.

However, it seems that other instincts do exist, such as the instinct of cooperation or the religious instinct. other instincts, such as the instinct of cooperation or the religious instinct (currently being (currently being investigated) that are characteristic of human beings and that have helped us to evolve as a species and to become one of the most complex creatures in nature.

Freud's theory of instincts

Another approach to understand a concept such as instinct was handled in his day by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud, for whom the instincts would be forms of specific tension of a supposed psychic energy, of dynamizing action, which would be the result of a specific tension of a supposed psychic energy.The instincts would be forms of specific tension of a supposed psychic energy, of dynamizing action, which express the bodily needs and produce all the characteristic phenomena of life.

The instinct would thus be a pressure that would produce the need for a reaction and that would compel to execute it. This approach perceives instinct more as a need than as a sensation or an innate behavior that provokes this need..

For Freud and the stream of psychoanalysis that grew out of his theoretical approaches, mental phenomena and social activities would be determined by the constant need to reduce those tensions produced by instincts, which would constitute the driving impulse of human life and which are perceived as disruptive and unpleasant feelings.

This view of instinct is, of course, an approach without any scientific basis, despite being very popular because it comes from such a controversial figure as Freud has always been.

Instinct in folk psychology

The concept of instinct has given rise to various interpretations in folk psychology. Let us look at several of these conceptions.

Instinct as intuition

Although instinct and intuition are not the sameIt is very common to make use of them in contexts in which the two concepts are intermingled. Instinct here is understood as a way of knowing or acting based on feelings, sensations and motivations, whether bodily or cognitive, but which do not come from calm analysis, but seem to burst forth suddenly.

Something similar happens with the maternal instinct: although there is no scientific proof of its existence, the term has been popularized to define a kind of impulse that pushes a woman to feel motivation and affection for a present or future offspring. Although motherhood is a desire that takes different forms in each woman and sometimes may never occur.

Maslow's instinct

Abraham Maslow was an American psychologist and the main exponent of humanistic psychology. Maslow believed that all human beings have essentially vital needs for the maintenance of health, including love or esteem. for the maintenance of health, including love or esteem.

Maslow began to popularize terms such as desire or motivation to symbolize those kinds of instincts or needs internal to each of us, claiming that these "instintoid" needs were a kind of instincts genetically built into all of us.

Weisinger's modern instinct

In the 21st century, the conception of the term instinct has changed considerably. The meaning has been reformulated and figures such as Hendrie Weisinger, clinical psychologist and author of the book The Genius of Instincthave tried to explain that instincts are not dark or primitive, nor are they something to be repressed.

According to Weisinger, human behavior is more intelligent than animal behavior because we have more instincts, not the other way around.and not the other way around. With them we would already have everything we need to improve our lives; that is, we would be "programmed" to succeed.

This psychologist also postulates that human beings have lost touch with their instincts and that, in most cases, they act against what would drive them. According to him, we could improve all aspects of our lives by recovering our instincts and using them to our advantage.

Instinct and free will

The latest scientific research has challenged our previous understanding of instincts, free will and human will. The studies conclude that we act before we think, driven by our instincts and emotions..

It seems that the awareness of having made a decision comes when we have, in fact, already made it. Our decisions may be unconsciously predetermined seconds before our consciousness perceives them as if they were premeditated.

However, all is not lost. Our behaviors obey, to a large extent, the habits and customs we have acquired throughout our lives. throughout our lives. And this is where free will comes into play.

If, for example, a person decides to react aggressively every time his survival instinct feels attacked, and thus reaffirms it with his experiences, this person has applied his free will to anticipate his future aggressive responses to any attack. Therefore, this "premeditation" will have been conditioned by education and environment, but also by his capacity for personal choice.

Bibliographical references:

• Pinker, S. (1994). El instinto del lenguaje: cómo crea el lenguaje la mente. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.
• Frandsen, G. (2013). Man and the rest of the animals. Tinkuy No. 20, 56-78.