Instincts are hard-wired genetic behaviors that enhance our ability to cope with environmental circumstances. These instincts were the driving force for the behavior of our ancestors; they were beneficial when situations arose that provoked a flight or flight response. Despite the increased safety of our environment and living circumstances, we still have the flight or flight emergency response instinct as a part of our DNA. Our fight or flight response is the best known survival instinct. This is triggered when we think our existence is being threatened. Our sympathetic nervous system is activated, and emotional, psychological, and physical changes happen. Our senses are heightened and the frontal lobe of our brain is able to make quicker …show more content…
In times of scarcity, the human that would mostly likely survive the winter would be the one that would take care of his own needs first, or the one that would hoard resources. That prehistoric human would have been much healthier than it’s generous neighbor. Greed must have been instinctive for early humans. Although greed or self preservation may not be as respected in modern culture, it is not always a bad thing. New born babies are born greedy and selfish--they do not think of anyone but themselves and what they need or want in that moment. This is not out of hostility, but because of their instinct to thrive and survive. So as new born babies demonstrate the ancient instinct for self preservation, this trait of greed is also witnessed in distorted ways in our modern culture. For example, the economical and political structures can encourage greed, and some social systems promote selfishness with money, time, or possessions in a way that does not always benefit the individual or our …show more content…
This is the instinct to achieve meaning and purpose. People want to believe that things happen for a reason and that the suffering and circumstances of life are not merely random events. Sometimes we look for meaning in inanimate objects, like the climate or the universe. People might interpret a disastrous storm as a punishment because people have strayed from religious traditions or customs. Diseases are often viewed as bad omens. Some cultures have fulfilled the instinct to develop a meaning by creating myths for things they cannot understand. Myths provide stability and security to a culture, it is a way for the old to pass on the perspectives and values of the civilization’s history to the young. Myths set the guidelines and expectations for a culture, as well as bringing the people together. When ancient societies did not understand where lightning came from, they blamed it on an outraged god. Humans have a tendency to turn their misunderstanding into a story or myth, in an attempt to justify the world’s natural phenomenas. Although this instinct is ingrained, sometimes it is out of place in modern culture because we have more scientific information and understanding about how the world